Nice to meet you!
by Tishie
Summary: Do opposites really attract? Find out as Ruby and Sapphire discover why indeed they have been fated together, as Pearl, Diamond and Platina tumble into their lives. Franticshipping? Or a whole new web of fated attraction? Read to find out!
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: __Hey guys! So I've had the sudden urge to re-immerse myself in all things Pokemon, and I've gotten in-touch with my inner-writer once again. (Much to my HW's dismay) _

_So this story is a crossover between Ruby & Sapphire's arc to Pearl/Diamond/Platinum's. I just love how their personalities stand out from each other, and to put them all in one situation is such a fun experiment. I do hope you'll like this little story._

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"Did you hear? Lady Berlitz is coming to Littleroot!" A certain crimson-eyed boy exclaimed loudly, cupping one hand on his right cheek dreamily, while the other tightened the grip on the fashion magazine he was reading. They were both in the newly-improved secret base, complete with a mini-fridge, fur carpet, bean bags, plushies and a kotatsu.

All Sapphire could do in response was scratch her caramel-colored head. "Lady Barlips? Is that some kind of traveling circus or something?" She leaped up in a split second and pounced on the poor boy. "I WANNA GO I WANNA GO I WANNA GO"

"G-get OFF! Filthy barbarian!" Ruby shot back loudly in response, flailing his arms around like a girl who just spilled juice on herself. After giving the boy a bit of space, Sapphire still managed to maintain that innocent look that suddenly sprang up from the thought of a circus, and sat beside him, eager to learn more.

Ruby simply sighed, fixed the folds the girl created on his meticulously hand-sewn shirt and then cleared his throat. "Platina Berlitz? Only heiress to the Berlitz Family, the WEALTHIEST family in Sinnoh! Not only is she incredibly rich, she is also an icon when it comes to the latest trends in Pokemon fashion! I mean, have you SEEN what her Empoleon has on? Seriously!"

Ruby had both his hands on his chin and wandered off into a frenzy of little day dreams about what he could do with a status like hers'. Sapphire took advantage of his state of mind by grabbing the magazine off his hands and reading the article for herself.

After a few minutes of skimming, she nudged the boy roughly with her shoulder. "Ey, ey… Ruby! It says here she battles, and had won all 8 gym badges!" Sapphire then, had a wide smug on her face, realizing this _Lady Berlitz_ saw the beauty in Pokemon battles as well!

"Some fashion icon! She seems to like battling a WHOLE LOT more compared to all the sissy stuff YOU like to do" She assumed triumphantly, crossing her arms and nodding in approval of herself.

The boy's crimson-eyes sharpened as he grabbed his magazine back and tucked it away under his arm, obviously discontented with the truth of her statement.

"YES, very well. She DOES battle. But, I suppose being a fashion icon along with being a very prominent Pokemon Trainer makes her even more of a spectacle; so that only makes her way more awesome now" Ruby shot her a beat-that-if-you-can look, then stood up to grab a soda from the refrigerator.

Sapphire raised her chin in an attempt to show she was unfazed, and turned away, slightly feeling bad about the comparisons he made with her.

"Well if you love her so much, why dontcha' marry her?" She managed to say, grumbling to herself afterwards.

Ruby simply chuckled at the thought of her showing a tinge of jealousy with all that he's been saying, and sat beside her, sipping his soda. "I might just do that…" He then took a big gulp from his soda with closed eyes, but managed to keep one open to observe her reaction.

Sapphire was at a loss for words as she held the tablecloth of the kotatsu with irritation at his statement, her jaw hanging from her mouth as she tried to think of a comeback.

"Just kidding! The very thought of such a thing is so unrealistic. I mean, an heiress? What are the chances?" He sighed, but smugged afterwards, his eyes not moving away from Sapphire's discontented form.

"ZACTLY! What in the world would she see in a guy like you?" The azure-eyed girl exclaimed, laughing loudly after the insult.

Ruby stood up and clenched his fists in anger. "EXCUSE ME! How many guys do you think are able to groom Pokemon and sew the way I do? You REALLY need to get your head checked, savage!"

* * *

"We've been circling the god-forsaken jungle for hours, Dia!" A rather outraged, blonde boy cried out, tugging his lime-green scarf in irritation as they walked through the dense forest.

"I didn't expect the _detour_ to take THIS long, Pearl…" His teammate replied, giving a blank stare at the map before looking back at their third companion. "Missy? You alright over there?" He asked shortly after.

"Just fine, Dia." A rather lady-like voice replied as Lady Berlitz, or rather, _Platina_, stepped out of a few bushes.

"I don't understand Missy, why don't you use your Rapidash like you always do? It'll be easier for you…" Diamond suggested as he offered his hand to assist Platina as she walked closer towards them.

"…Not to mention a lot _faster _too" Pearl added, fumbling with his hair at their pace. Platina simply ignored his comment and smiled at Diamond for the polite gesture.

"I'm sure we'll be able to find our way out, it just so happens that this is a new region with new challenges. And one of those challenges is more exercise, for me" With this, the lady concluded going to Hoenn as a trio will benefit not only their Pokemon training skills, but also their bond as friends; this time, Diamond and Pearl didn't have heartfelt contracts to protect her, just the way she wanted.

"I _still_ think it would be better to use Rapidash, Mis-AHHH!" Diamond was too busy looking at the map to have realized that he walked straight into a stream, losing his footing and sliding downwards into an unsuspecting duo's tracts.

"Dia? DIA?" Pearl screamed, looking around for his partner-in-crime, before slipping and sliding through the same path himself. "GODDAAAAAAAMMIIIIIIT!"

Platina looked back, their voices were filtered by the loud screeching a flock of passing Taillow made.

"Huh? Where on earth have those two gone off to…?

* * *

"AAHHH-OW!" Luckily, Pearl and Diamond got to land on a pile of dead leaves. The blonde managed to get himself up, knees shaking from the sudden slip n' slide.

The other trainer didn't seem as fine, rubbing his butt after the impact it had made with the ground earlier. "W-what… What happened? Where's Missy?" Diamond asked, realizing their female companion wasn't anywhere in the premises.

"More importantly, Dia… No, I mean Diamond" Pearl said, helping, or rather, dragging his partner up from the ground.

"I think we've stumbled upon a way back to civilization!" The blonde brushed off some leaves from the wooden sign and knelt down to get a closer look.

Diamond continued to look for Platina frantically as he twisted his head round and round to get a clearer view of the place. "MISSY!" He screamed, getting more and more worried with each passing minute.

"Huh? You both losing someone?" An unkown female voice called out to the pair.

"Obviously, Sapphire. These two look absolutely _bedraggled_. I mean, seriously who in the right mind would pair a lime-green scarf with a red-and-white schemed top?" The boy who stood beside her added, walking towards Diamond and Pearl to get a closer look.

"EXCUSE ME; who the hell are y-!" Pearl's inquiry ceased when a blue-clad girl leapt closer to sniff him, he stumbled back as she broke in closer and closer through his personal space.

Diamond chuckled at the sight, but suddenly remembered they needed to find their third companion very soon. "H-hi… I'm Diamond, and this is Pearl" He casually said with the purest smile he could muster, before proceeding to ask the other duo's names.

"Oh, nice to meet you, Diamond-" Ruby gave a rather irritated glance at Pearl and Sapphire's closeness before continuing, "…And Pearl"

"Pearl?" Sapphire repeated. "AHAHAHHA WHAT A GIRLY NAME!" She bounced back from the blonde as she hurled into a fit of laughter.

"H-hey! Who d'ya think y-" Diamond placed a reassuring hand on his partner's shoulder before he got a chance to counter attack the laughing female. "Hey, we made her laugh without even showing them one of our routines yet, isn't that convenient, Pearl?"

Pearl flinched back a bit before mustering up a smile towards Dia, reassuring his partner that he won't be losing his temper now.

"Please excuse how rude Sapphire is, she was probably raised by wild Pokemon" Ruby sighed, raising his arms up in total submission of the idea.

"Uhm, Ruby and Sapphire?" Diamond asked, the girl and boy nodded in response. "Right, well we're kind of losing someone…"

"Missy? That was what y'all were shouting a while ago!" Sapphire confidently concluded.

"Yeah, _missy_. She has a white bonnet on, and has a dark-grey and pink dress… Pink boots" Pearl contemplated with one hand on his chin, looking down. Ruby's eyes widened as he envisioned the damsel.

"W-wait… Either you're playing a real mean joke on us, or… You're talking about THE Lady Berlitz?" The crimson-eyed lad leapt towards Pearl, his wide and sparkling red orbs beaming with excitement as he thought of the possibility of meeting this celebrity.

Sapphire stuck her tongue out and grabbed hold on Diamond's wrist. "Well, since it's a lady we're looking for, she couldn't be _that _hard to sniff. LEZGO! Sissy and Sissy numbah 2, meet us back at the base in an hour!" She sprang through the woods like a flash of lightning, dragging along her new and helpless comrade, Diamond.

* * *

"…Isn't she a ball of energy?" Pearl said, before sighing and checking out the wooden sign he spotted earlier.

"More importantly…" Ruby continued. "Is that lady you both are looking for, REALLY _The_ Lady Berlitz? Heiress to the Berlitz family fortune and Pokemon fashion icon?"

Pearl scratched his head at the display this _boy_ was showing, who

seemingly didn't care about how _queer_ he was acting, and cleared his throat in an attempt to straighten his thoughts out. "Y-yes, that's Missy alright" He shook his head and took out his Monferno. "Chimhiko, help us look for Missy. Alert me once you've gotten a hold of her whereabouts" The chimp-like Pokemon nodded and then jumped at an incredible height upwards, disappearing from their sight in a split second.

"Wow, what an amazing looking Pokemon! He would absolutely cream the competition in the "Cool" category!" Ruby exclaimed, admiring the burnt leaves Monferno's high jump left behind.

"Uhm, If it's not prying, I'd like to ask how exactly you two ended up in this forest?" Pearl asked the boy.

"Oh, well… We're always out here!" Ruby smiled and placed both hands on his hips without realizing how weird he sounded just now. "Uhm-" Pearl struggled to keep to pace.

"I-I mean…" Ruby placed a hand at the back of his head, embarrassed. "I'm NOT like that barbarian, if that's what you're thinking… We have a…"

He thought a while before deciding that telling the trio of their secret base wouldn't be such a big deal, because after all they do know THE Lady Berlitz.

"..Secret base. Somewhere around here"

Pearl beamed at the thought of finally having a place to rest, and then placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "WELL THEN, Ruby… I'd gladly introduce to you Missy if we could take a breather in your base or whatever-you-call-it"

* * *

"Hmmm… Where do you think they've gone off to, Empoleon?" The lady inquired as she fiddled with the hem of her skirt. "It isn't wise to wander farther off when both of your companions are suddenly missing, but I can't help but worry about those two"

The penguin-like Pokemon simply shrugged and leaned onto a tree, before suddenly springing into a battle-like formation. "What is it, Empoleon? Is someone out there?" She stood up and steadied herself beside her trusty companion, getting ready to face anything that was out there.

Before long, Monferno appeared, sighing deeply as his eyes met Empleon's. Platina suddenly smiled, and scratched Monferno's brown fur in relief. "Thank goodness it was only you, Chimhiko! Now, take me to Dia and Pearl" The Pokemon nodded and proceeded to lead them towards his master.

* * *

"Diamond, is it? The girl asked as she offered a hand at Diamond, ready to lift him up onto her eager Tropius. "Y-yeah…" The boy replied as he nervously accepted the girl's help.

He flew onto the large Pokemon's back thanks to Sapphire's inhuman strength, but remained pretty unsure about all this.

"U-uhm.. I'm sure she hasn't gotten _too _far off…" He reminded Sapphire. The girl simply chuckled and patted her flying-Pokemon's head, as it hovered right off the ground.

"We'll find her in double the pace! This is like a little contest, yes? A race to find the damsel in distress!" She playfully reassured him, looking out onto the forest floor with speedy eyes.

"I guess so…"

Diamond sighed as he steadied his posture, but a rather yellow-looking fruit caught his eye. He stared at it blankly for 5 minutes, drool forming in the corners of his ever-hungry mouth.

Sapphire caught a glimpse of his face before realizing where he was staring at. She laughed heartily before reaching for one of Tropius' fruits. "Pilo loves sharing his bananas. Heads up!"

She tossed one onto the hungry boy's hands. "A-amazing… a Pokemon that makes bananas! That's really *omnom* Some*omnomnom* thing" The girl giggled as she tossed him another. "Man, ya must be really hungry huh? Let's just find this Missy and maybe grab some din- OH! FOUND HER!" She yanked Pilo's neck which accurately made her Pokemon fly towards where Platina was sighted.

"We've got to hurry! Looks like a strong fire-type is attacking them! PILO HYAAA"

Pilo responded with a loud cry before gliding towards where his master pointed.

"W-wait, Sapphire! I d-don't think that's a wild po-" Before Diamond could finish his sentence, Sapphire leaped off of Pilo and dashed through a few branches until the boy could no longer spot her. He frantically searched around on Tropius' back, but to no avail.

"Oh boy…"


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N_: _So I've managed to write up a 2__nd__ chapter, hopefully this one will be more fast-paced since all the introductions have been made. I hope you all enjoy and PLEASE Review! (Not just story alert lol) It would mean a lot to me!_

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"Toro! Save Missy from that red Pokemon! W-whatever it's called…GO!" Sapphire released her ever-eager Blaziken as both of them rolled onto the ground like immensely skilled acrobats, right in front of Platina.

The lady's eyes widened as the girl blocked her view of Monferno's lead. "W-wait, I'm not in any da-"

"Not to worry, Missy! Sapphire will handle this so you can keep your pretty little boots clean!" Sapphire held out an enforcing arm between Platina and Chimhiko and commanded Toro to trap it in flames.

The bird pokemon did as It was told, crying out a loud and powerful screech that ensued flames around Chimhiko. Monferno stopped its tracks as it realized that it was trapped in a circle of flames.

Platina was shocked and a bit irritated to have been treated like a powerless damsel. She called out to Empoleon to disperse the flames, holding out a pointing hand towards the girl and her Toro.

"Empoleon, let's clear this situation up. This girl is obviously unaware of my ability and skill, let's show her what we've got!" Empoleon nodded to that statement, shortly after, it gave a full-on hydro pump attack aimed at the flames Toro was making.

*SPASH!* The girl and Toro were drenched, much to their dismay.

"H-HEY! Who d'ya think you're attacking, Missy?" Sapphire's bright blue eyes met Platina's amber ones. "We're in the middle of SAVING YOU!"

Platina simply rolled her eyes and sighed. "By attacking my friend's pokemon? I do not comprehend how _helpful_ such a gesture may be" The lady furrowed her brows and called her Empoleon back into its ball.

Sapphire bent her head to the side, she didn't mind how water from her caramel locks were dripping all around her. "Wasn't it _attacking_ you?"

"How can it be attacking me if it was ahead of m-"

"MISSY!"

The two girls had their quarrel cut short, when a certain Diamond came to the rescue. He was panting but seemed to be just fine.

"M-missy… Are you alright?" After catching his breath, he went closer to Platina as he observed her stature very carefully. "I'm fine, Dia. No need to worry, it seems as if you do not know me as much as I thought you did! You've both trained me well" The lady giggled slightly, before beaming Diamond a bright smile as a show of appreciation for him caring so much.

"Oh y-yeah. This is Sapphire. She was kind enough to help me and Pearl look around for you" He directed an open palm towards Sapphire, who, at this gesture, raised a hand and rubbed the back of her head, slightly flustered.

"Ehe… Sapphire's the name"

She was never the type to make friends, let alone pretty friends of the same gender. She had always tried avoiding girls like Platina; why put up with all the bad things they would probably say about her looks or how un-updated she is in fashion?

…Wait, sounds a lot like Ruby!

"Oh! Is that so?" Lady Berlitz placed a hand over her delicate lips in surprise. "How extremely rude of me to have done what I did" She stepped closer to the blue-eyed girl, bowed down low and closed her eyes earnestly.

"Would you be able to forgive me, Sapphire? I will do whatever it takes to make it up to you, for drenching you and your pokemon unnecessarily, when you had good intentions"

Sapphire was even more flustered by this, her cheeks' hue turning into an even brighter shade of pink. "Uh, uhm… Well" She stuttered, looked down slowly and sighed.

"It's no problem, Missy. After all, I guess Ruby had been tellin' me over and over to wash my hair! I guess he'd stop nagging me from now on" She giggled and patted the head of Platina gently, indicating her to raise her head.

"Nice to meet ya, Missy!" Sapphire extended a hand, smiling the biggest grin Platina had ever seen on anyone before.

The lady's amber eyes sparkled as she took Sapphire's hand and shook it with pure eagerness and interest. "Very nice to meet you as well, Sapphire. I really did love your fire pokemon's display a while ago, I could tell how skilled you are"

Sapphire's cheeks turned pink again as she nodded at the compliment. "Gee, no one really says anythin' about my battling before, thanks!" The two girls exchanged friendly battle stories one after the other, until they had to stop due to Diamond's stomach loudly grumbling.

"S-sorry, ladies… Uhm, can we continue this conversation in dinner?" Diamond rubbed his tummy and looked down, embarrassed.

"Haha! Sure Dia, Let's go back to Ruby and sissy numbah 2!" Sapphire held out her hand then shoved it in her mouth, followed by a loud and piercing whistle. "Pilo! Time to go back now!"

* * *

"S-so, about Lady Berlitz, I've always thought she used #45 golden deluxe-"

Ruby eagerly followed the young blonde and chattered away, not at all caring about which direction the pair was heading into.

"Look." Pearl stopped his tracks, and with feet wide apart, stomped them repetitively in rage. "I most definitely DO NOT know what brand her Rapidash's horseshoes are, I DO NOT care what shampoo she uses on her Empleon and I definitely DO NOT KNOW what the hell she rubs on his crown! I just want to find the goddamn woman and find my way out of this forest; GOT IT?" He was almost as red as a Voltorb as he said this, his ears apparently fuming with steam.

Ruby's neck was trickling with sweat as he did not expect Pearl to scream at him like that out of the blue; Sapphire had her moments when she would fume at him but definitely not to this extent!

"O-okay! I was only enthusiastic about her, seeing as she IS your friend and all… Sheesh!" The crimson-eyed boy rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in disappointment, before his attention was called by the

ringing of Pearl's Pokegear.

The blonde fumbled with his bag before finally finding the gadget and clicking it to receive the call.

"Hey, Pearl. I found her! Sapphire said to tell Ruby to meet her at the base. Also, tell him that it's ok to bring everyone in."

After a few more mumbles from the Pokegear , Diamond continued…

"Also tell him that his hat looks like crud and- … Wait, SAPPHIRE!"

Pearl and Ruby heard a few giggles and other sounds after, and closed the gadget before anything more can come out of it.

"Oh just WAIT until I get my hands on you, filthy barbarian!"

Ruby clenched his fist and started storming his way back down the path from which they came. Pearl sighed and jogged towards Ruby's path, tucking his Pokegear back into his bag.

"So, you and that girl…" From the corner of Ruby's eyes, he saw Pearl smirking with a theory forming within his head; not good.

"W-what are you thinking?" Ruby continued his trek with steady eyes, avoiding the glance of the blonde.

"Oh nothing, it's just that… Me, Platina and Dia have been a trio all this time… Now, a duo… _That_ is definitely a whole new story!"

The crimson-eyed boy simply grunted and hurried his pace, Pearl struggled to follow but was forced to.

* * *

"W-what have you done to my precious décor!" Ruby's complexion nearly doubled in paleness as his eyes surveyed the sorry (and wet) state of their secret base. (which, by now, was not very secret anymore)

"I was drenched by Missy's Empoleon by accident, THAT'S what happened!" Sapphire stuck her tongue out before rubbing a towel under her armpit very, unladylike.

Diamond was busy unwrapping the food they had bought along the way getting to the base, while Platina was taking her time in the "powder room". (Or Ruby's makeshift pokemon-contest-grooming-station-of-awesome)

Pearl simply collapsed onto the couch, exhausted from the 3-hour trek around the god-forsaken woodlands of Hoenn.

"So, Dia… What's for dinner?" The blonde casually asked his friend.

"Roast slowking's tail, Pearl"

"Did it take a while for it to cook?"

"Not at all, why, they should call how it is made, fastking!"

*Cue cymbal clash*

The room fell onto a moment of silence, before Sapphire burst in a medley of laughter.

"AHAHHAHAH! Y-you guys a-are, AHA so, AHAHA… Cool" She held her stomach in pain from the amount of laughter she produced. Diamond and Pearl simply smirked and gave a slight bow for a routine well executed.

Ruby, throughout the whole time, had his jaw hanging down like a street sign. "What. The heck. Was that?" He simply asked in a straight tone, one eyebrow raised high as he did.

"It was a routine me and Dia just thought of a few hours ago, seems to be one of our funniest this week!" Pearl explained, nodding once more in confidence.

"That was hardly even WORTH a chuckle" Ruby raised his hands in submission to the failure he assumed belonged to these two "jokesters". Pearl's face seemed to have been splashed with red paint as his blood, boiled with anger.

"I DARE YOU TO MAKE A FUNNIER JOKE!" He screamed at Ruby, holding the young man's collar as he threatened the boy even more.

"L-let go! I just ironed this shirt, get your filthy hands off it!"

Sapphire sighed and stood up to help, before being interrupted by a very feminine voice.

"I was out of the room for barely 4 minutes and here you are fighting with someone already, Pearl" Platina shook her head and shot her teammate a disappointed glare.

Ruby's attention quickly shifted as he ran towards Lady Berlitz. He grabbed a hold on her soft hands and with sparkling eyes, exclaimed;

"Are you THE Lady Berlitz?"

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_A/N: I made the SLOWKING joke on the spot, like I kept writing without thinking. I believe that is why it is so FAIL and dumb. Anyhow, please do NOT forget to write REVIEW. Thanks!_


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N_: _I still have a hard time deciphering where to insert the romance part… Guess you'll have to keep reading to find out!_

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The lady stepped back a bit, but being an heiress with tons of lessons in manners and a name to protect, surely such interaction was expected and she almost always knows the proper way to handle these things.

"Why, yes, you are quite right. I suppose you are Ruby, whom I have heard so very much about?" She smiled and nodded at the enthusiastic boy.

Ruby felt a chill ripple through his spine; of course she HAD to hear about him through Sapphire. "What exactly did this _barbarian__**, **_tell you… Ms. Berlitz?" Still holding the lady's hands, Ruby shot an intensely irritated, I-hope-you-value-your-life glare, at the blue-eyed girl.

Sapphire grumbled loudly and looked away, flustered. Platina cleared her throat to clear the forming tension. "That you have… _fashionable taste_. Quite unusual for a boy, but it is quite pleasing to hear"

"W-why, YES! Actually, I have so much I've been wanting to ask you-"

Platina tilted her head a bit, embarrassed. She wasn't quite prepared for _this_. Ruby let go of her hands and snatched up a notepad from his pocket, along with a blue pen.

"Ok, first off, how does your Empoleon's coat stay shiny, I mean wh-"

Ruby went on and on, much to Platina and the rest of the group's dismay. The lady though, had a tad bit more patience than both Sapphire and Pearl combined, so she handled it nicely as she answered each question with a smile.

As Ruby was going to ask the 9th question, (Something about stick-on nails?) Dia hit his spoon and fork together, indicating that it was time for dinner. "Guys, the table's all ready" By the time everyone sat down to eat, he had his plate full with food.

"Honestly, Dia. I wish sometimes you could wait long enough 'til everyone's seated" Pearl grumbled at the boy who didn't seem to care anymore.

"Aw give poor Dia a break, Pearl! He's famished!" Sapphire chirped.

Ruby, completely ignoring the other 3, continued. "So anyway, Ms. Berlitz, about which brand of fabric you use" Platina's vane popped out from her head as she turned to face the raven-haired boy slowly.

"Ruby, let's quietly finish our meal first. Alright?"

Pearl was about to bite his slowpoke's tail until the tone of his old friend's voice stopped him. He thought; _man, to actually get her kinda pissed off… He must be REALLY annoying._

"I've got to say Ruby, I've only entered and won contests because of these two." Platina gave a loving glance at both Diamond and Pearl. "So, all that praise is undoubtedly undeserved by only me"

Ruby eyed the two boys meticulously, and closed his eyes to think. "I find that hard to believe" Pearl grumbled a few more words towards Ruby before biting a huge piece of meat from his fork. Platina coughed slightly, and Diamond kept eating; as if nothing was happening.

Sapphire was busy laughing at the blank face of Diamond as he was eating, Ruby saw this from the corner of his eye and instinctively spoke to direct attention towards his vain little self instead. "Sapphire, I honestly believe you need to spend some time with Ms. Berlitz here. You could learn a thing or two"

"Excuuuuse me, sissy boy?" The caramel-head hissed. "I'll spend time with who ever I want to!" She stuck her tongue out, turned her head both ways, and grabbed Pearl's scarf. "Come with me, Pearl! Let Sapphire here teach ya everything ya need to know about this forest!"

"W-wait… LET GO! I haven't finished my m-meal" Pearl struggled to shout as Sapphire nearly strangled him to his death as he was dragged out of the secret base.

Ruby's eyebrows furrowed and he gripped his fist tight, eyeing the blonde and Sapphire as they slowly disappeared from sight.

"It seems as if they will get along swimmingly" Platina said.

While chewing, Diamond finally noticed 2 of his friends gone.

"H-huh? Where'd Sapphire and Pearl go?"

Ruby gritted his teeth, before looking down and then changing his persona entirely as he faced Platina. "NOW, where were we, Ms. Berlitz?" The lady sighed.

* * *

"H-how far do you plan on taking me, wild-girl?" Pearl managed to say, all the while dodging branch after branch during their rough trek.

" It's SAPPHIRE. SA-FI-ER" She turned around to face him, then plopped down on a stump, kind of pissed.

"I don't understand this at all, but…" Pearl looked around, and then up, only to realize how beautiful the night sky looked like without all the city lights.

"But, I guess I don't mind being kidnapped for a little longer…" He sat beside her on the same stump, his amber eyes never leaving the night sky.

"Your Missy… She's amazin' isn't she? …" She followed his gaze, her voice getting softer and softer.

Pearl's attention was caught by her words as he looked at her. He noticed a tinge of jealousy in her tone.

"Uhm, yeah. She was _pretty_ annoying at first. Nothing Dia and I did made her laugh or even smile"

He chuckled, then looked up at the stars. "But we both learned a lot from each other that way, I guess. She learned to loosen up, and I learned…"

There was a slight pause for a moment, before Sapphire looked at the blonde, anticipating an answer.

"You learned what?"

"Actually, I'm not quite sure" Pearl searched deep in his brain and placed his hand on his chin, in deep contemplation.

"I guess you could say… I learned how to be… more patient. Yeah, to be more patient!" He nodded and gave a big grin towards Sapphire.

Sapphire laughed and nodded right back. "I think ya need to spend time with that Missy a _tad _bit longer"

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Sapphire couldn't hold it in as she laughed really hard.

"Ahaha… N-nothing, it's just that… You three seem really nice together!"

Pearl smiled, looked down, then back at the blue-eyed girl. "Well, how about you and that Ruby? What's your story?"

She looked away, trying to hide the sudden blush that splashed over her cheeks.

"W-what are you talking about? We have NO story!"

"Aw c'mon. You guys have a secret base and everything! Even matching clothes"

Sapphire opened her mouth wide to say something, but alas, all of it was true!

"I'd say, you both are almost like a married couple!" Pearl teased, grinning devilishly as the girl fumed with embarrassment. She couldn't hold herself any longer as she pounced on the young blonde, hurdling them both onto a pile of leaves.

"We are NOT a married couple! Why would I like a sissy-boy like him? He's practically a GIRL" the rant went on and on, and sadly all Pearl could do was lay down below her on the ground, her legs kneeling on his sides, her hands holding on for dear life on his shoulders.

His face was beet red as she continued talking about Ruby, though her words seemed to dwindle through his ears because of the fact that his face was inches away from hers'.

"G-get off me!" Pearl struggled once more, his feet kicking. "Take what you said back first!" The girl insisted, nailing him even harder onto the ground.

"What I said was the truth, do not deny the supporting facts!" Pearl, being the way he is, will never _ever_ back down.

Even if he _was_ pinned on the ground in the middle of a forest by a _girl_.

"TAKE IT BACK!"

"Honestly, you're in denial!" He pushed even further.

As they argued, a faintly-colored fog seemed to surround the two without either of them noticing. Soon after, Sapphire's arms lost all control as her upper body fell onto Pearl, almost as if she just fainted.

"W-what's going on?" Pearl frantically screamed, his heart pounding by the sudden closeness.

"I… I can't move!" She sniffed and concluded, "A wild bug pokemon must've gotten annoyed about the noise we were making, and released… _Paralysis gas_ or something"

Pearl gulped and tried to move his own body, but to no avail. "DARNIT! I can't move my own body either! Someone, HELP!"

Certain spider-like pokemon suddenly appeared everywhere as he screamed, red insect-eyes shining dangerously on the pair.

"SHUT UP! If you keep screaming, they might go ahead and use the big guns… _Poison gas_" Sapphire snapped at him.

Pearl sighed and realized he couldn't even reach for his pokeballs. "So that apparently means that we're stuck like this until someone _finds_ us… Right?" Pearl gulped one more time before closing his eyes in total defeat.

Sapphire cringed as she felt her heart pound against his chest. Her face was near his neck, her arms a bit lower than his. She could feel her cold body warm up from Pearl's body heat.

"I can't BELIEVE I didn't see this coming" Her face turned red as she looked up at him, trying to see his reaction to all this.

Pearl simply sighed once more and opened his eyes; at least he could still see the stars. "Oh I'd be _pretty darn _amazed if you did"

...

"So uhm.. Pearl…"

"Mhm?"

"Got any good jokes on ya?"

* * *

_A/N: Oh look at the lovely little_

_Button just below this._

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	4. Chapter 4

_A/N_: _I'm having a lot of fun so far, but I can't help but notice my right eye twitch every so often…_

* * *

"Why the heck are are those two taking so long?" Ruby huffed, crossing his arms in irritation.

"Perhaps they found a nice spot to go stargazing, it _does_ seem like a nice evening" Platina felt a cool breeze enter the cave, her flowing dark-blue hair moving along with it, and smiled.

Diamond stared blankly at the lady, not realizing it until Platina redirected her gaze towards him. Embarrassed, he quickly spun his head around and cleared his throat. "M-maybe they're lost?"

"Fat chance! Sapphire knows this place better than a I do the Celadon Department Store!"

Platina narrowed her eyes onto Ruby. "You seem to know quite a lot about Sapphire" She then, sat closer beside him. "I am quite interested to know how you both came to be" She placed her chin delicately on her palms, elbows resting on the table, ready to listen.

Ruby's cheeks reddened as he heard this, he quickly looked away and cleared his throat. "T-there is _nothing_ between me and that… wild animal. Why would you even think such a thing?"

Diamond chuckled and eagerly looked at Ruby as he replied, "Well, you both stay in the _same_ secret base which is only a secret to _both_ of you, you _just _said she knows this forest really well which clearly shows how much you know her and you both have _matching_ outfits…"

After saying a mouthful, Diamond stuffed his mouth with some potato chips he just opened up not too long ago. Platina's eyes widened and she gazed at Ruby, anticipating what he had to say.

The crimson-eyed boy obviously did not expect those words to come out of Diamond. Him, of all people! Platina simply nodded and said,

"I do say, that is quite a lot of evidence!"

Ruby was as red as his name! He plopped his hat down to cover his eyes and stuck his nose high up in the air. "W-well, we share a base because it was cheaper that way, she knows this place obviously because she's a wild child, a-and.. The outfits…"

"I believe you should come to terms with your feelings, Ruby. Obviously from the data my friend here had meticulously thought through, a situation wherein both of you are romantically connected can't be too far off"

Ruby just kept blinking at Platina, unable to think of anything to say. Diamond finished off a chip, licked his fingers, and explained.

"I think what Missy's trying to say is that, you're in _denial, _dude" Diamond placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and gave him a small it's-alright-girls-are-pretty-tricky smile.

Ruby's cheeks were very red, with the heat following shortly. He rose up with both of his fists tightly closed and angrily told them off.

"LOOK, there is _nothing _going on between me and that gi-"

Before Ruby could finish his sentence, a bunch of wild Dustox flew from the trees, creating a loud, rustling sound followed by the loud buzzing they made with their wings.

Ruby's eyes narrowed, his piercing red orbs seemed to be still as if it were instinct. He hurried towards where his backpack was, followed by a few other things with great speed.

"W-wait, what's going on?" Diamond said, stumbling a bit while standing as his legs fell asleep throughout the whole thing.

Platina looked left and right, following Ruby's actions; _"for a boy to claim his hatred for battles, his ability to sense and react to danger is incredible._"

"Sapphire and Pearl might be in danger, we should hurry towards the sound!" Ruby looked at them for a second and ran towards the exit.

"Don't you think he might be over-reacting?" Diamond asked, as he tried to get ready as fast as he could.

"We know nothing of this forest 's dangers, and also-" Platina got her bag, fixed her bonnet nicely on her head and lead Diamond out to the exit. "You _must _know how one feels when someone he dearly loves is in peril. It brings out a lot of change in a person" She smiled at him after she said this, all Dia could do was look away as blood rushed to his cheeks.

* * *

"Seems like the bug pokemon are all…gone"

Pearl struggled as he tried moving his limbs one more time, but to no avail.

"I wonder what scared them all away" Sapphire sighed as she closed her eyes and tried to hear his heart beat through all the noise.

*Doki-doki-doki-doki*

"Ahaha, your heart's beating pretty darn fast!"

Pearl gritted his teeth as his cheeks burned up.

"W-why shouldn't it? I mean, look around you! We're in the middle of a god-forsaken forest, our bodies are paralyzed, and on top of that…"

"No, **I'm** on top of **you**. Aahaha!" Sapphire laughed even louder as Pearl helplessly lay there below her.

"I'm not usually the type to kill a good joke, but this IS NOT THE TIME to be making any!"

"T-then I hope those pokemon aren't the type to want to kill _us_…"

Sapphire peered towards the glowing eyes of a group of unknown pokemon that were making sounds in the bushes.

"H-hey, that wisecrack was… Not half bad, if I do say so myself…"

"Take your own advice Pearl and shut up…" The blue-eyed girl slowed her breathing as she tried to get a clearer view of what was making those noises. It was nighttime, so the only assistance her vision had was moonlight; which proved barely useful when stealthy pokemon are involved.

Pearl whispered, still looking up at the sky to avoid scaring himself to death. "W-what's o-out there?"

Sapphire sniffed the air a few times. "I can… Smell… Mightyena!" Her eyes widened as she realized who the predators were.

"Th-that's bad, isn't?"

"P-pretty much… I can take them on easily, but that was back when _I was still able to goshdarn move my body_, DARNIT" Sapphire gritted her teeth as she struggled once more in an attempt to revive her paralyzed body.

"Ah! I managed to move my knees!" Sapphire exclaimed.

Movement, for someone paralyzed, was like trying to move while wearing 25 layers of wet clothing, slow, cold and definitely not easy.

She struggled but to no avail as her main goal was to touch the button of her Blaziken's pokeball. "Damn! My legs managed to budge a bit but my shoulders are frozen stiff"

"W-wait, maybe I can move my arms-" Pearl struggled as well, his shoulders just refusing to give way. He was able to move his arm in one swift motion though after a bit, and managed to open one of his own pokeballs.

Both of them sighed in relief and smiled broadly at the shining light the ball produced, only to completely be crest-fallen at the sight of Chahiko, Pearl's Chatot.

"I think you just **killed us**, Pearl"

"W-wait, maybe I can manage to… No, it's no use! My arm can't even twitch anymore!" His limbs refused to move at all, along with Sapphire's. The Chatot looked around and then saw the sorry state of his master. It chuckled a bit, before responding to the angry screams Pearl directed towards the bird-pokemon.

Pearl looked desperately at his only savior, as he uttered carefully:

"Help; paralyzed; wild Mightyena-"

"Ruby's a big wuss"

The Chatot nodded and flew away, carrying the message both of them left with it.

A vane popped out of Pearl's forehead as he shot his torso up and screamed at her. "How could you manipulate our only means of being saved by adding _Ruby's a big wuss_? Did it even OCCUR to you that Chahiko has a limited memo-"

He felt his arms able to move again, he was in a sitting position, with Sapphire still in his lap.

"-ry… Wow! Seems like my paralysis is all gone!"

"Congrats to you, Pearl. Now, mind getting' us both outta here?"

"Alright already, sheesh"

Pearl scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment, before gently swooping his arms under the girl and carrying her safely away from the wild pokemon. Sapphire blushed as she was carried like a princess being saved by a hero; After all, **she **was usually the one doing the saving.

"Y'know, I'd probably be the one saving _you_ if my paralysis healed sooner… I'd probably run faster too" Her blue eyes looked away as her arms swayed loosely, following the directions Pearl ran toward.

"Yeah well, you _didn't_ heal sooner. So there" He ran towards a clear area, with plenty of moonlight. It was quiet and calm, with the sound of a small spring flowing gently towards a lake, Illumise and Volbeat flew around the area with their firefly-like glow.

White flowers seemed to give off a faint light as the moonlight reflected on their soft petals. Who knew such a place existed in a middle of a jungle?

He gently placed her on a soft patch of flowers, before stretching his arms out. "Whew! What a close call."

Sapphire's eyes danced around, following every petal, vine and leaf that flew across the beautiful oasis. "I've never seen this place before…"

Pearl heard her voice, soon after, realized that he was in the middle of a moonlit-flower paradise. Like they had been brought into an entirely different region!

"…Neither have I"

* * *

Ruby sprinted towards the direction he heard the sound come from.  
Diamond and Platina struggled to keep to pace, slowing down here and there to catch breath.

"S-slow down, Ruby… Me and Missy can't… Keep up"

"I could've sworn the Dustox flew away from this area… Right **here**"

After a few more rounds of checking, Ruby released his Castform and ordered it to use _Sunny Day_.

"Popo, shine some light on this area, will you?" All the while, the crimson-eyed boy kept a stern and determined look, which surprised his other two companions.

The Castform inhaled deeply, then managed to morph itself into a jelly-like, sun-shaped, yellow pokemon, flying across the small area with ease; and wherever it went, a hint of sunshine followed which had enabled Ruby to look around for clues.

Platina and Diamond followed the lead, as hey looked at the ground closely for any sign of Sapphire or Pearl.

"H-hey, I found something!" Diamond exclaimed, flailing his arms wildly while pointing at a certain spot on the dirt.

Ruby and Platina dashed towards him, looking closely at the spot shortly after.

"Looks an outline of Pearl's body. You can still see the spiky sides his hair had embedded on the ground, along with a few strands of blonde hair" Platina expertly deduced, exercising skills that had been passed on from generation to generation within her Berlitz Clan.

"Any sign of Sapphire?" Ruby urgently questioned.

Platina and Diamond took it upon themselves to take an even closer look, seeing as Ruby had a hard time even seeing properly. (He might have forgotten his glasses at the base!)

"N-no… I don't see any fragment of anything that might have belonged to her…" The lady redundantly said.

"Does she have a pokegear, Ruby? Pearl left his with me so calling him won't do us any good"

Ruby shook his head, paused, and continued looking.

"Judging from the deepness of the area Pearl had lay down on, they might have been stuck her for more than 20 minutes…" The lady added to her observation.

Diamond stood up and scratched his head. "But what would make Pearl wanna lay in the dirt for that long?"

Ruby smelled a hint of Dustox trickery in the air.

"He must've been _paralyzed_." Ruby expertly concluded, still quite serious about the ordeal.

Platina's eyes widened as she smacked her palm against her forehead.

"Precisely! Exactly why his body had formed that sort of mark on the ground; it also explains the flock of Dustox that had escaped earlier"

Platina and Diamond quickly followed Ruby, seeing as he knew the forest better than either of them. He looked around once more, and retrieved his Popo back into its pokeball.

"Well, Ruby-ole'-pal… Where could they have gone?"

Ruby closed his eyes, then looked at Diamond and Platina.

"Sapphire would've most likely saved that Pearl-friend of yours. Either they're back in the base, or stuck somewhere out here."

Ruby paused for a moment to think, then continued.

"Alright. Ms. Berlitz and Diamond, you both should return to the base in case they've gone back.  
It also lessens the risk of you both losing your way again. I'll keep looking, I'll call your pokegears if anything comes up"

The crimson-eyed boy nodded at the pair, clicked his shoes and dashed at an insane speed away from them, smoke trailing his path.

"I've got **one** question, Missy"

"And what would that be, Dia?"

Diamond coughed and scratched his head.

"Do you have _any_ idea how to get back to the base?"

...

"Not at all"

* * *

_A/N: That was so fun to write! Can't believe I finished right when the clock striked midnight._

_Well, please remember to review, it boosts me to continue! _


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N_: _I'm thrilled about having really nice readers/reviewers for my story! I'll do my best not to disappoint you guys._

_**And just a tip**__: When the piece of text is written in all italicized, that would mean it is a person's thoughts. It will usually be followed by the name so; you'll hopefully be able to distinguish who's thinking it!_

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_Where on EARTH would those two have gone? _; Ruby thought as he ravaged through the forest, guided only by some moonlight and Popo's centered sunshine.

"Shine some light over there Popo" The crimson-eyed boy pointed towards the large dark area where some noises can be heard.  
Popo went near it, before ultimately flying back towards him in a moment, its tiny body shivering in fear.

"W-what are you so shocked about, Popo?" He held the Castform in his arms, then retrieved it back into the safety of its pokeball. The area of bushes Popo was so frightened about suddenly moved, which made the teenager flinch a bit; _Whatever that thing is, it frightened the heck out of Popo… I better keep my guard u-_

"RrrrruuUUuBbbyYyyy" A strange voice cried out suddenly from the dark.

"W-what!" The boy flinched in fear as it backed away from the noise, unsure of what it actually was. "W-who in Mewtwo's name are you? Why do you know my na-"

"Ruby…" The voice repeated again, making Ruby even more nervous about its getting louder by the minute.

"STAY BACK! I've won every contest there is in this region, and if you plan on harming me and my poke- " Ruby clamped his mouth shut as the mysterious voice seemed to have gone so near him that he was already able to feel the heat from its breath…

A few more moments of silence passed, with the boy refusing to move even an inch from his frozen state. He was fed up with the silence though, before continuing;

"Whomever y-you are… I'll have you know despite my love for all things beautiful I can still put up a nasty fight and-"

"Ruby… is a big **wuss**"

His ear twitched.

"-Come again?"

"Ruby's a BIG wuss."

Ruby's vane popped as it was able to sense where the voice was coming from, grabbing it in a split second like a frog's tongue towards a fly; the boy seized its flying around and looked at it sharply with his blood-red eyes.

"Say that to me ONE MORE TI- hey!" The boy saw the bird pokemon gasping for breath under his forceful grip, before deciding to loosen up and eventually calming himself down.

"You're Pearl's Chatot, aren'tya little guy? Sorry for holding you so tightly, I could've sworn it was a hardcore fan or something" The boy smirked, before freeing Chahiko, the bird pokemon gasping for air with the release.

"Did stupid Sapphire say that just then?" The boy inquired, putting on a much more cheerful disposition so as the Chatot would trust him.

After a few more gasps for air, the bird pokemon regained its stature and happily flew near Ruby's face so as the trainer can get the message clearly.

"Help; paralyzed; wild Mightyena…" Chahiko mocked its master's tone and stuttering perfectly, which made Ruby's heart skip a bit as he listened to the faint and seemingly tortured voice pass through the Chatot's beak.

The boy couldn't tell whose voice it was exactly, but with _Ruby's a big wuss_ comment; he assumed both messages came from the same person.

Sapphire.

"C-can you lead me to Sapphire and your master, Chahiko?" Ruby faintly said in attempt to mask how worried he actually was.

The Chatot noded and started to fly towards where he sensed his master to be. Ruby looked around, and then started running after Chahiko.

_Sapphire, a wild cave-girl like you is capable of handling anything… But in a paralyzed state?  
Oh god I hope I'm not too late!_

_

* * *

_

"I wonder…"  
The blue-eyed girl pondered, staring onto the night sky which appeared to be a cascade of bright white beads scattered across a roll of dark-blue velvet.

"If Ruby would be able to make a dress that looks like that…"

Pearl failed to hear this, as he was busy making a camp fire out of a rock and some twigs. "Look, for all I know you could be _faking _your paralysis…" The blonde grumbled as he literally broke a twig in half out of anger. "So if ever you DO feel like getting up, by all means!"

Sapphire struggled to move, but to no avail as she shifted her eyes towards Pearl. "We'd be back at the base eating our dinner an hour ago if I _was_ able to move, ok? I don't understand why my stupid body wouldn't heal as fast as yours did!"

Pearl sighed, gave up trying to start a fire and sat beside Sapphire. He placed his hand on his chin and sighed, looking back and forth from the stars then onto the paralyzed girl.

"Why'd you run away, anyhow?"

Sapphire stayed silent, her brows furrowing at the thought.

"Because of that _jerk_"

"…I _do _admit he has some, issues."

Pearl thought about it some more, eyeing the blue and red stars that were twinkling beside each other.

"Y'know, now that I think about it… You both are _complete_ opposites… aren't you?"

"Yeah, in every way!"

Pearl sighed and looked down back at her, which made the young lady blush.

"That sounds a lot like me and Diamond"

Sapphire's blue orbs widened at the thought.

"H-hey! Now that I think about it…"

The blonde smiled, lifted his arms high up and then plopped down onto the ground beside her. He was in a relaxed position, whereas Sapphire was completely flat against her back. Their closeness made Sapphire blush a bit, but Pearl was too busy thinking about how different he was from Diamond to care about that.

"Me and Diamond… We've done _a lot_ of stuff; He's like a brother to me. I wouldn't know what I'd be doing without that _blackhole-mouth of a boy_ beside me!"

Sapphire chuckled; making Pearl's cheeks flush a bit. "That sounds really nice, _like brothers_…"

Pearl heaved a sigh, remembering all the things they've done as a dramatic duo.

"Oh! But you and Ruby, he's a boy and you're a girl right? How's that working out for you?"

"As you can plainly see, Pearl; not so good"

"Well… Given that you both are of different gender, _completely_ different personality AND all your interests don't mesh nicely either…"

"-You're having fun with this, aren'tya Pearl?"

The boy chuckled and poked Sapphire's cheek teasingly; resulting in them turning much redder. "All's I'm saying is, despite being complete opposites…  
You both are still really good friends, am I right?"

Sapphire opened her mouth in an attempt to disagree,  
but was seized by the fact that it was all true.

"I don't think it matters, really; how different people are from one another"

Pearl eyed the blue and red stars that sparkled side by side, and took Sapphire's still-paralyzed hand and directed it near the stars. Her cheeks turned hot, as she felt his hand tighten as he held hers'.

"-If you both are fated to be together…"

He guided her hand with his own, circling them around the twinkling gems. As they did this, a shooting star suddenly flashed across the sky. Pearl continued, his voice and body evidently exhausted from the day's activities;

"Then there's nothing else you'll need to wish for anymore"

He placed her hand gently beside her and sat up. He looked at the Sapphire and realized her eyes were closed, he could barely see in the moonlight.

"GEE THANKS, Sapphire. A _real_ eye-opener for someone who barely even shows any sign of sensitivity-"

"Shut it, Pearl. I'm wishing on the star"

Pearl flinched and clamped his mouth shut, tilting his head in confusion.

"B-but, after what I just-"

"-Ruby would rather hang-out with someone beautiful, smart and girly like Missy…"

The blonde sighed and plopped back onto the ground beside her. "So _that's_ what this is ALL about, huh?"

Sapphire's face turned completely _ruby_. Pearl chuckled and faced her.

"So, Sapphire… I'm interested. Did you wish to be more like Missy, then?"

The girl let out a loud laugh before opening her dazzling blue eyes towards the night sky.

"Me? Like Missy? Pffft, IMPOSSIBLE! It'd take a giant meteor for _that_ wish to even come close to coming true!"

Pearl smiled a bit, wondering if she was simply playing with his thoughts.

"Then what did you wish for then?"

"I wished th-"

Suddenly, as Sapphire was about to speak, a red handkerchief fell onto her face, covering it completely.

"Go on; what **did **you wish for, Sapph?"

Pearl's body jolted up at the voice, looking back and realizing that Ruby had been there all along. Chatot flew towards Pearl which made him retreive it back into  
the pokeball. He stuffed it into his bag, sighed, and then managed to ask Ruby:

"F-for how long h-have you been-"

"Oh, _long enough_ my good friend"

Sapphire kept mumbling under the handkerchief,still unable to move, Ruby smirked and cupped his ear saying;

"Oh? Did I hear someone who needed help? No matter, it's probably a wild _pokemon_ out to scare wandering travelers. Am I right, Pearl?"

Pearl rolled his eyes and stood up, dusting his back and pants off afterward. "So when are you actually going to help her up?"

After a few seconds, Sapphire leapt up at an incredible height and stormed in front of Ruby, waving her arms around like mad. "H-how long WERE you standing there, Ruby? You could've helped out much sooner!"

As the both of them argued, Pearl took the handkerchief off the ground and observed it.  
_I see… He sprayed Paralysis Potion on the handkerchief. He's pretty clever; I'll bet Sapphire didn't notice this at all since she was too busy mumbling comebacks at him!_

The blonde shifted his gaze at the handkerchief, then at Sapphire, then at Ruby, before handing it to him; breaking the nonsensical squabble between him and Sapphire.

"So, where's Diamond and Missy?"

"I told them to go back to the base in case you were-"

"Did you, now? And did it even _occur_ to you that they don't have the FAINTEST IDEA wherever the hell your base is!"

Ruby was still smiling and held a pointed finger up to say something, then gulped at the realization that Pearl was exactly right.

"W-well I can simply call them, can't I?" Ruby quickly scrambled to retrieve his pokegear, he held it up but Pearl grabbed it soon after, punching in Diamond's number like a furious wife phoning her husband's mistress.

Sapphire shook her head as she sighed, and then looked around to see if she could identify the area they were in properly.

The call went through, but in the 3 minutes Pearl spent hearing ring after ring, Diamond didn't pick up.

"DAMN IT, how could he not answer his phone at a time like this?"

"Diamond? Maybe his loud chewing or his stomach growling is blocking the phone's ringing!" Sapphire suggested, chuckling with her hands on her tummy soon after.

Ruby rolled his eyes at her comment, "Sheesh, Sapph. You meet the guy for a day and you act like you've known him all your life!" He crossed his arms and shook his head.

"Oh, then tell me Ruby… How long have you and Missy been friends? From the looks of it, you guys must be goshdarn SOULMATES or someth-"

"GUYS, BOTH OF YOU SHUT THE HELL UP! I'm trying to goddamn call people so go over there near the lake or something… BOTH OF YOU!" The blonde's face was completely red with anger, stomping his feet along with it.

Ruby and Sapphire flinched at the sudden burst of rage, and followed Pearl's wishes. Sapphire stretched her body as she went closer to the lake; Ruby stuffed his hands into his pockets and kept his gaze downwards.

"…Thanks" Sapphire managed to say as she stopped in her tracks.  
_After all, he __**did**__ come all this way to save us… Didn't he?_ Sapphire thought.

The crimson-eyed boy stopped as well after hearing her, looking up. She smiled at him; a smile only _he_ was privileged of seeing. His cheeks turned bright pink, as he flopped his hat down to cut their eye contact.

"Y-you and Pearl seemed to have enjoyed yourselves…"

Sapphire smirked at him, feeling a sense of jealousy in his tone. But after realizing he heard her conversation with Pearl, she turned bright red and started stomping furiously in place.

"HOW MUCH DID YOU HEAR?" She screamed.

"Enough; I assure you"

He smiled and held his hands up, palms facing her, in an attempt to help her calm down and change subject.

She yelled out a cry of frustration and then sat on the ground right after, with legs and arms crossed in a most irritated fashion. Ruby chuckled, sitting beside her after her grumbling stopped.

"So… What _did _you wish for?"

Sapphire's eyes widened, looking at the boy as he looked back at her with a smiling and seemingly innocent look on his face.  
Her cheeks flushed again, as she lowered her head near her knees.

"I wished… I wished for-"

"GUYS! I dialed Missy's, Diamond's and my number but STILL no answer! Something's up!" The blonde screamed, running and stomping in front of them frantically.

"Wh-what could have happened?" The worried Pearl cried out, giving Ruby back his pokegear.

"It's possible that their battery just died" Ruby suggested.

Sapphire added, "OR that they ended up going… **there**"

"**There**? What's up with **there**?"

"You _wouldn't_ wanna know, Pearl"

* * *

_A/N: *stretches arms* well that's another chapter down!  
Where could Platina and Diamond have gone?  
What's so horrible about __**that**__ particular place of which Sapphire does not speak of?  
Will there be a blossoming romance between hot-head and cave-girl?  
Find out on the next succeeding chapters to come! (I love questions, don't you?)_

_Write me a REVIEW!_

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	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: It's exam week, so I apologize for the delay. Funny thing is, I've been informed how many readers put this one on Story Alert; I just hope you guys give some reviews as well, so I know how I'm doing so far. It also, really means a lot to me!  
Thanks for still reading and I hope you enjoy_

_ALSO, I've changed it from center to left._

_*I changed a few sequences and parts a bit so old readers might be a tad confused. Sorry about that!_

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The dark, damp forest was its most active at this time of night. All sorts of different pokemon were nocturnal after all, and very much unlike Diamond, they thrive when the moon is out and the trainers are in.

Platina and Diamond were busy scurrying away, trying hard to locate an area that had no coverage from branches or leaves above. Neither had any reception for their pokegears, nor a decent illuminated vision of the place.

"Diamond, how do you suppose Ruby could have gotten us _this_ lost in less than 5 minutes? I assumed that we were relatively near the base when he left us, but as soon as he was gone…" The lady held onto her red scarf tightly and panted for a bit of air.

Diamond was just as tired as she was, only, he had to stay strong for her in case anything happens. He held out a hand and assisted her through more rough patches of the forest.

"I know exactly what you mean, Missy" He looked around. "Still; a forest is a forest. We've gone through a couple, and I don't think this one will be any different"

"And why do you suppose that is?"

"Well, Missy. If we got out of the others unharmed, we'll get out of this one just as easily"

Platina sighed. "Easily? I'm sure there are more suitable words in the vocabulary…"

Suddenly, a loud THUMP was heard not-too-far away from their position.

"-! What was that, Dia? Did you hear it?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Turns out I _wasn't _dreaming after all!"

THUMP! THUMP!

"There it is again! It seems to be coming c-closer"

"Let's try to find a safe spot to hide in, Missy!"

Platina nodded and called out her Rapidash. The lady leaped onto the horse-pokemon, grabbing Diamond by the arm and helping him up. After a bit of struggling, they both managed to dash away from the noises.

"Why couldn't we use Rapidash any sooner, Missy?" Dia curiously asked, holding onto his beret for dear life.

"I told you Dia, I will not use my pokemon unnecessarily; unless it is an emergency"

"Let's try and not wait for a life-and-death situation next time, Missy.."

The only thing the boy could do was sigh and look back, hoping that whatever was making those noises won't follow them.

* * *

"No really, tell me about this place!" Pearl insisted as he followed Sapphire through the thick vines that surrounded them.

"It's not the **place**, rather… It's the pokemon that _live _there." After a few sniffs, Sapphire was able to lock onto a scent, her nose twitching with the discovery.

Ruby smirked and patted her head teasingly. "What is it girl? Did you finally trace a scent? Where is it, Sapphy? Come on, you're a **good** girl; yes you are!"

Sapphire popped a vein as she slapped his hand away from her. He held it up in response, palm facing her. "Just kidding, Sapph! Don't take it personally!"

Pearl shook his head and held the bridge of his nose in total irritation. _Honestly, all this good-for-nothing teasing just annoys the hell out of me. What does he think he's doing, snapping her away from focus? Two people are MISSING, for crying out loud!_; His thoughts ran through his head like someone banging the words down a typewriter. Each sound of each letter hitting the paper in his mind made his head want to explode!

"Look, STOP bothering Sapphire! You've done enough by leaving Missy and Dia out there on their own, so just SHUT UP for a second and leave her alone!"

Sapphire's blue eyes were wider than ever at that moment when she heard her name through Pearl's lips. _P-pearl's defending me? Why would he do that? He just met me not too long ago!_ Her cheeks turned bright pink as she reluctantly eyed the two boys starting to fume at each other.

Ruby's eyebrows suddenly furrowed, as he marched right up to the furious blonde's face. He held out a pointed finger and fought back:

"THAT'S the kind of thanks I get from trying to save your sorry butt from getting lost and some phony wild Mightyena? Well if that's the way you work, then find your _friends_ on your own!" Ruby turned around and started walking away, before being stopped by someone grabbing his arm. He furiously turned towards it, eyeing the white and red stripped patterned sleeve with utter annoyance.

"Help? What exactly did you do back there… Care to remind me? A few more minutes and Sapphire could've gotten up herself! As far as I know, all you've done for us is make things worse!"

Both Pearl and Ruby's faces were probably _crimson_ at this point, with their eyes so locked onto each other that it scared Sapphire. Normally, she'd be the type to jump right in and break it up, but since it's between Ruby and Pearl of all people…

Ruby stayed silent for a bit longer, before calming himself down. Ever since he had that tantrum with his Feebas, Mimi, he promised himself to never lose his sense of awareness in anger.

Easy enough for him, as for Pearl though; _that's_ a **whole** new story.

The crimson-eyed boy eased his tension and looked at Sapphire. She flinched and flushed at the sudden change he displayed, but nodded and understood what his look had meant. _That's the same look he gave me when we last fought about him being selfish during Hoenn's time of need… Looks like he had matured a lot since that day…_

Pearl was still fuming through the ears as he marched in front of where Ruby was looking, itching to get him back to the topic.

"Well? SAY something! Are you going to walk out on us o-"

"I'm sorry for teasing Sapphire. There; happy?"

Ruby shook his head and gave the blonde a stern look with his crimson eyes.

"We've both wasted time with this. Now, we should just be looking for Diamond and Ms. Berlitz, time is of the essence"

Pearl stepped back at the sudden realization, looked down and gripped his fists tightly on his sides. He was shaking with suppressed rage, but managed to calm himself down.

"F-fine. Let's keep going"

Sapphire was still at a loss of words. They both had their reasons, Ruby was just livening up the tense atmosphere and Pearl just wanted the search to go back on track. _They didn't really mean to get on each other's nerves…_

"Well, Sapph? Which direction did their scent come from?"

With Ruby's words, Sapphire was snapped back into reality. She sniffed a couple more times, before she pointed a very sure finger towards the east.

"That way, but their scent is getting weaker by the minute. I suppose they're riding some fast pokemon as means of escaping **it**"

"I-it? AGAIN with the euphemism?" Pearl complained.

"I don't even know what it's called…"

"What ever it is, we have a lead and that's all that matters for now. Let's go guys"

Ruby grabbed Pearl and clicked his running shoes, leaving behind a cloud of dust as he ran. Sapphire was equal in speed, traveling through the vines she had used to get around ever since she was a child. Both went towards the direction she had pointed towards, quite unsure of what to expect.

"D-did you hear something just now? It sounded like Diamond!" The blonde cried out as he grabbed Ruby's sleeve. The sudden tug made Ruby come to a halt with Sapphire following his lead right after.

"Where'd it come from?"

Sapphire jumped down from high up the branches, landing firmly in front of Pearl and Ruby. She started sniffing about, Pearl's eyes locked on to her movements. _And I thought Missy was unusual… But having met Sapphire…_

The blonde's trail of thought stopped as Sapphire neared him, nose twitching as she sniffed at a faster pace.

"Darn it; I can't trace them anymore!"

"We don't need your nose now though, Sapph. Didn't you hear the scream just now?"

"Come to think of it, I heard one coming from the Northeast… It sounded like Diamond"

"Well what the heck are we waiting for? LET'S G-"

"We can't act rash, Pearl! We wouldn't want to come across whatever's out there, ourselves! We need to come up with a plan" Ruby placed a hand on Pearl's shoulders, trying as hard as he can to calm the rowdy boy with reasoning. Sapphire sighed, reaching out for a vine she could climb onto.

"I'll check it out. I guess amongst the three of us, I know most about the fore-"

Ruby suddenly dashed in front of her and broke the vine off, making her incapable of climbing up to the treetops.

"NO. Definitely not. We'll go together. Whatever's out there won't be able to handle 3 capable trainers anyway"

Sapphire mumbled, crossing her arms in irritation. Pearl rolled his eyes and started walking in a northeasterly direction. "Every second counts and goddammit I'm not going to sit here and do nothing!"

The crimson-eyed boy took his glasses out and didn't budge, as he quickly devised a strategy.

"R-ruby! Pearl's going out there alone; We've got to-"

"There's no reasoning with that guy, Sapphire. He'll only get himself lost so he won't go that far" He neatly placed his glasses around his eyes and looked down in deep thought.

She watched as Pearl disappeared from sight, waiting in anticipation for Ruby to finish devising a strategy. _I know full and well that rash actions don't usually result in success, but I'd be just as scared and worried as Pearl is if Ruby suddenly screamed out of no where…_

Sapphire gripped her shirt tight and was unable to resist. "I can't sit by and do nothing either! I've got to help out and-"

Ruby stretched his arm in front of Sapphire, blocking her from leaving. "Ok, I've got a plan. But you'll have to listen carefully. First, we'll need Rono…"

* * *

"Th-this is a nice place to hide, isn't it Missy?"

"Quite. Though, those thumps earlier had made me curious about which pokemon in particular were making them…"

"Missy really loves to learn new things doesn't she?

Platina gave the boy a smile, which made his cheeks flush. A genuine smile from the Lady Berlitz is hard to earn, after all.

_Since when has it been since me and Diamond were left alone this long?_ Platina thought, feeling his shoulder brush against hers as they huddled closer, the wind had made Platina shiver slightly. Diamond noticed this and unraveled the red scarf around his neck, and offered it to her.

"Here ya go Missy, it might not be as soft and warm as yours, but a second layer couldn't hurt"

He carefully wrapped it around her neck and returned her smile with his own, droopy azure eyes. The softness and gentleness the blue orbs emitted made the young lady's heart beat much slower… Which she had noticed.

_Either he had calmed me down from my terrified state or… He had made me feel a totally new emotion…_ The young lady felt the blood rush to her cheeks just thinking about it. _It's probably because we've done so much today, I'm sure my mind is in a very exhausted and  
vulnerable state right now…_

"I am lucky and truly grateful to have such a thoughtful companion with me, Diamond. I can't begin to thank you enough…"

"Why t-the sudden thanks?"

"I recalled how intensely Ruby and Sapphire had fought, and I was aware that we do have an occasional squabble or two… " She closed her eyes and reminisced, leaning her head onto Diamond's sturdy shoulder; as her heart beat slowed down into an even pace, his own had beat twice as fast!

"…but with someone like you, who's happy disposition never failed to make both me and Pearl smile.. It's very reassuring"

The boy was lucky to have had that moment during the nighttime; if the Lady had seen how wide his smile was after her comment, she would've made fun of him.

"Aw I don't deserve all that credit; We're comedians, after all. Me and Pearl's job is to make you smile and-"

"I was talking about you and you alone, Dia"

Diamond clamped his mouth shut as he heard this and immediately faced her direction. Platina was still leaning her head against his shoulder, her eyes shut tightly, a small smile forming on the edges of her lips.

_Such soft lips._

*Gulp*

_Wh-what are you thinking, Diamond? Kissing Missy right now, we're in the midst of a pokemon thumping about, looking for the dinner that escaped! This isn't some comedy routine!_

His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden sensations. He wondered where it came from, but after a while realized that it was from Platina's shivering arms. He frowned upon seeing her suffer, and offered his arm to protect her from the cold.

Both blushed at the idea, but it was inevitable as neither had any jackets or coats to use. With a nod, Diamond reluctantly wrapped an arm around the girl's bare shoulders.

After a short while, both of them cuddled next to each other, Platina heard a few more thumps; she couldn't tell if it was getting closer towards them or passing by though. "Did you hear that Diamond? Should we move our location?"

_Are you insane, Missy? The way we're hidden now is so perfect that I'd never want to mo-_  
"I don't think moving around is the best idea just yet"

He tightened his grip around her as they listened more closely to the thumps. "They seem to be going towards another direction, Diamond"

The boy nodded, sighing and looking back, only to completely be crestfallen by the face of one of the pokemon who had been making all that noise. It was right behind him all along, eyeing him in a very freaky manner.

It had two black pearl-like orbs on its forehead,  
a snout just like a pig and it was apparently quite large.

"W-whaaAAAAAAA!"

* * *

_A/N: _

_A/N: I wanted to focus on some one-on-one time and shiz for this chapter.  
Hopefully, I'll be able to add a little twist in the upcoming chappies to  
spice this little fic up! _

**And don't forget my little lovelies to review! :) Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: It's exam week, so I apologize for the delay. Funny thing is, I've been informed how many readers put this one on Story Alert; I just hope you guys give some reviews as well, so I know how I'm doing so far. It also, really means a lot to me!  
Thanks for still reading and I hope you enjoy_

_I also apologize for the false start this chapter had. Uploaded it all wrong the first time, sorry!_

_

* * *

_

The pig-like pokemon snorted, before pushing Diamond's forehead slightly with its own. The boy panicked and pushed Platina away before the wild pokemon could touch her. He was rammed out of the bushes with great force, sending him stammering onto the ground.

"DIAMOND!" Platina screamed, horrified at the sight that befell her.

"STAY BACK MISSY! Don't dare come closer, it'll hurt you"

The lady scrambled to get her pokemon, but found her pokedex instead. She quickly grabbed it and made a scan.

"_**Grumpig**__, the __**Manipulation Pokemon**__.Prone to stampedes, these pokemon are usually avoided by most._

_The two black pearls on its forehead are granted the_

_Special ability to be able to manipulate foes with psychic waves."_

She showed no sign of reluctance as she snatched a pokeball from her yellow bag and threw it in-between the wild Grumpig and Diamond.

"Empoleon! Strike the Grumpig on its forehead; where the black pearls are situated!" After the lady gave the command, the penguin-pokemon executed it in a split-second; giving the Grumpig a good peck in the head.

Platina rushed to assist Diamond, his hands covering his own forehead in pain. "Goodness Dia, was it a fatal blow?" Her face showed intense fear, anticipating his condition.

The boy shook a bit as he struggled to get up, one hand on the affected area. "I-I'm fine Missy, please don't trouble y-yourself" She immediately assisted Dia, his arm around her shoulders and her arm assisting his upper body.

The Grumpig fled, as Empoleon protectively stood in front of both Diamond and Platina, eager for the wild pokemon's return for a rematch.

"This forest, I didn't realize how aggressive it can actually be!"

Diamond chuckled and rubbed the area on his head slightly, which made Platina's heart sink.

_You've always tried your best to protect me, Diamond. Now for once, let me do the same to you._

_

* * *

_

"I should've probably waited for Ruby's plan…" The blonde said to himself, pushing away some leaves and vines that blocked his path.

"Diamond! Missy! Scream if you hear me!"

…

_Still _no reply.

"Please! ANYONE-"

"If you scream Ruby, someone MIGHT just think of saving you"

The blonde jumped up as an ever-familiar figure paraded in front of him, his smirking face facing his own. Pearl grunted and looked away, embarrassed.

"Sapphire's on her way towards where Diamond and Ms. Berlitz is located. We'll stay here and anticipate the rest of the plan to unfold"

"P-plan? Why can't we simply go there ourselves?"

"It's the _Grumpig_, Pearl."

"-What the hell did you just call me?"

Ruby sighed and dusted off some dirt from a stump, and sat on it shortly after. "Wild Grumpig are on the loose. Sapphire was aware of that; but she didn't want to scare you"

Pearl raised an eyebrow at the statement and scratched his head. "Grumpig? They don't sound legendary OR life-threatening, so why take so much precaution?"

"Because…" Ruby turned red as he remembered the exact reason. Pearl's curiosity was aroused as he tried to piece together Ruby's sentences.

"When Sapphire encountered a wild Grumpig, she came back to the base as if she was a completely different person…"

Pearl's orange eyes widened as those words entered his ears. _A different person? What the hell could that possibly mean?_

"So, she was traumatized? She has a fear of swine now, is that it?"

"No Pearl. Like, her whole personality changed"

"Wha-""Grumpig's a **Manipulation** pokemon. It kinda made her believe…"

"Believe what?"

"That she was deeply _in love_ with me"

"You've GOT to be kidding me"

"I'm SERIOUS!"

With that, Pearl fell into a whirl of laughter.

"AHAHHAA is THAT what you guys are so terrified about? Man it must be HORRIBLE to have been in love with you, even IF she was hypnotized! She must've locked herself away for months after realizing what happened!"

Ruby flopped his hat down to cover his eyes and crossed his arms, completely embarrassed about sharing that passed ordeal with the blonde.

Pearl recovered after a while, clutching his stomach in pain from laughing so hard. "Ok, Ok… I'm good… Why is it that she went alone though?"

"Once you've been manipulated by a wild Grumpig, your brain doesn't pick up its brain waves any more, thus you are immune to it"

Pearl nodded as he tried understanding the plan Ruby had made. "So, she'll be luring the Grumpig away from Missy and Dia, so they can kill us instead? Is _that_ your plan?"

"Well, you've got most of it down, but we'll be ready for them when they come. In the meantime… I should REALLY get this off my chest before I totally murder you in the near future"

"What? What is it?" Pearl fidgeted and panicked a bit, thinking that there might be a wild pokemon around or something.

"Your scarf… The color's horrible. It doesn't match your _sailor_-motif AT ALL"

* * *

Sapphire swiftly leapt from tree to tree, dodging all sorts of obstacles on the way, her Blaziken trailing not too far behind her.

"Toro, look for any sign of the pig-pokemon below us!"

Blaziken silently nodded and sharpened her small eyes. Sapphire jumped onto a branch covered in moss and lost her footing, she plummeted rapidly towards the ground below.

"AHHH!" She screamed, fearing the end of her short-lived life. Toro immediately responded, catching her and landing solidly on the ground with its claw-like feet.

"Thanks Toro, I guess my body hasn't fully recovered from the toxins the Dustox released not to long…ago" Sapphire suddenly envisioned the beautiful oasis that she and Pearl so comfortably shared stories with, a pink hue crawling up her cheeks. She shook her head as she mentally tried to rip those thoughts away, and got off from the grip of her faithful pokemon.

She searched around some more, until she heard a loud THUMP near where she was situated. "Toro… I can hear something…" She sniffed few times, raising her nose high up in the air.

"!" A mud-like scent caught her nose by surprise, as she and Toro immediately hid themselves within the leaves of a bush. "It's nearby, I also smell Missy and Dia… Let's go to them, Toro!"

The girl and her trusted companion sprinted towards the scent, along with some hiding here and there, trying to conceal themselves as much as possible. "We'd want the element of surprise to work with us" She continued to lead her Blaziken through the woods, identifying the places the Grumpig were located and avoiding them swiftly. And slowly but surely, Sapphire and Toro ended up in the same area Diamond and Platina were resting in.

Platina's ear twitched as she heard the rustling of the leaves. "S-Stay back! I've got completely capable pokemon with me and I am most definitely not afraid to use them-"

"Chill, Missy! It's just me!" Sapphire slowly crept out from the bushes; her hair was evidently messed up with a few twigs and leaves stuck within the caramel locks. Blaziken's fur and feathers didn't fare as well either, and were slightly misshaped from all the running.

She was struck by their disheveled looks and Ruby and Pearl's absence made her even more concerned about the situation at hand. She tightened her grip around Diamond's hand as she supported his walking and went towards her. Sapphire noticed how Platina had to assist the boy and asked:

"What the heck happened to Dia? Did you encounter the Grumpig?"

Diamond gave a faint smile, before nodding towards the girl. Platina sighed and called out her Rapidash, _finally_ being able to trust someone to lead them out of the infernal labyrinth they so simply call a "forest". "Diamond, please make use of my Rapidash. Sapphire, he has been head-butted by a wild Grumpig. Do you suppose this will have a lasting effect on him?"

Sapphire flinched and lowered her head, thinking if she should reveal what her own encounter had been like or not. "Well, He's smiling and conscious, so it shouldn't be that bad" She inspected his forehead, before giving a thumbs-up that indicated everything will be alright. Sapphire then, lifted the young man onto the Rapidash just like an action movie star, and slapped the horse's butt to make it walk.

The Rapidash snorted in irritation, but decided to follow anyway. Diamond weakly held the horse-pokemon's neck, and eyed the two females that lead him in front. _Sapphire… I wonder what would've happened if we ended up with her as a companion… _

He eyed her athletic physique, the shapely curves that developed through continuous training, and then onto her legs, which were covered in scars. _With a girl like that on our team, I'm sure Pearl and I wouldn't need to help out anymore. Also, with a burning spirit to help others and do good, it wouldn't take as long as it did with Missy for Pearl and her to be friends…_

Diamond observed both girls quietly, Platina and Sapphire were too busy talking to see him anyway so he continued. Sapphire was all too glad to have someone as eager in battling as she was, and her being a girl as well was just a bonus!

"Ruby was totally wrong about you, Platina! You're not the rich-snobby-princess I've always assumed you'd be!"

Platina raised her brow, but remained calm, thinking of that comment as a compliment. "Why, you're not as wild as Ruby made you out to be either, Sapphire"

The caramel-head's eye twitched in response, but she kept her cool. "Are ya planning to conquer all gyms here in Hoenn as well?"

"As of now, I do not think so. Me, Pearl and Diamond seemed to enjoy sightseeing much more for a change"

"Why'd you end up in the forest then?"

"Well we basically wanted to go to Littleroot, my father is working on research there right now and I'd like to visit him"

"Hey! You're a researcher's daughter too? I didn't realize we had so much in common!"

Platina blushed a bit, realizing she had just made one of her first female friend. "Y-yes, a pleasing thought…"

* * *

_Yessiree, ANY minute now_…

Pearl impatiently started tapping his foot in irritation as Ruby paced back and forth.

"It's been an HOUR. You said it would take THIRTY MINUTES."

"I know what I said. But these things tend to take time"

"Why the hell would you even consider defeating the Grumpig when all we need to do anyway is rescue Diamond and Missy?"

"I'd like to get rid of them all, and since the chance has presented itself…"

"Why are you so eager to finish them off?"

Ruby gulped and looked away. _Because everytime I see a Grumpig…_

The crimson-eyed boy started remembering everything that happened back when they were still kids; the wild grumping stampede, Sapphire's eyes filled with tears as she threw his hand-made clothes onto the ground in anger, his feeling of shame and worthlessness; all of these memories came back with just a snort from a Grumpig or a sparkle from their black pearls.

"It's nothing, I just HATE how incredibly ugly they are… you know? To the extent that I want to wipe them clean from Hoenn" Ruby placed his hands on his hips, trying to sell the lie even further.

"Well you wanna know what I think?" The blonde said as he walked in front of Ruby.

"I think you want to use the pearls on their heads to manipulate MISSY to fall for you!"

Ruby slapped his forehead with his palm and looked down onto the ground. _What kind of an assumption is that?_

Pearl triumphantly crossed his arms and smirked. "Yep, I can see it all over your face. I've just thwarted your scheme"

"_Oh no; _my plan has been thwarted. What is there left to do!" Ruby rolled his eyes and fished his pokegear out of his bag. He started dialing Sapphire's number when a call came in, and surprisingly it was she who had called him first.

"Where do you think you are? It's been an hour, and I told you _thirty minutes!_"

"Calm down Ruby! I've found them! Meet me in the base, and this time, try not to let _anyone_ lose their way!"

"Roger that. *Sigh*" Ruby faced Pearl and snapped his pokegear shut.

"She found 'em. Let's go" Ruby sighed and gave him a relieved smile before walking towards the base.

"W-wait, aren't you going to fight the Grumpig to steal their pearls and then-"

"It's been a _long_ day. I think the Grumpig can wait."

* * *

_A/N: I am very sorry for how slow the pace is. But I promise you all  
a nice change of scenery after this chapter. _

_I love you guys,_

_PLEASE_

_REVIEW!_


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Hey guys! Guess what? I adopted a puppy and named her Ruby!  
(Yes, it's a female dog. Why Ruby? TAKE A WILD GUESS HEHE)_

_I hope you're enjoying, thanks for reading!_

_

* * *

_

The sun rose from the tree-scattered hills and forests of Hoenn, it illuminated the once darkened areas and now the forest seemed almost _beautiful_ to look at. (You know, when it's not trying to _kill_ you)They all were pretty much exhausted from their crazy adventure the night before, and as soon as they got to spread their sleeping bags out, fell into a nearly infinite slumber. Sapphire and Diamond, were one of the first to awaken after the good night's sleep.

"*Yawn* Last night totally wore me out…" The caramel-head stretched her arms, twisting it clockwise then counter-clockwise as it was her daily-morning routine. She stood and noticed a very tasty scent trailing across the room. *Sniff sniff* "Smells absolutely YUMMY!"

With a bright and fanged smile, she burst through the petite kitchen doors and walked towards the busy Diamond. "Whatcha cookin' up, Dia?" The droopy-eyed cook flipped the pan swiftly, before turning his head towards her, beaming a friendly smile. "Morning' Sapphire. I hope you don't mind me using these appliances, I just couldn't stand being so hungry anymore"

The girl chuckled and sat down onto the floor cushions that had surrounded a low table. "Not at all! I think they're Ruby's though. He makes all sorts of weird dishes that he says makes pokemon fur shine. But…" She stuck out her tongue. "He always makes ME try them!"

Diamond laughed a bit, placed the pan onto the counter and untied his apron. "Well, maybe he wants _your_ fur to shine" He started transferring his freshly cooked omelette into a serving platter, placing it on the center of the table afterward. "I made another batch earlier so they'll have something to eat when they wake up, but for the mean time…"

He sat beside her and arranged the utensils for breakfast. "I can't hold out much longer!" Diamond then, swiftly took a big portion of the omelette and placed it on his own plate, munching away happily a few moments after.

She looked at him and smiled. "Look at ya, all hungry n' stuff!" She smiled and got herself some food.

"…mmmMMM! This ain't half bad! Actually, it's pretty tasty! You have a knack for cooking, Diamond"

Diamond's cheeks flushed. "Th-thanks…" He stopped chewing for a while and eyed Sapphire as she gobbled his cooking up like there's no tomorrow. _No one has EVER reacted that way to my food before…_ He suddenly flashed a very wide grin, making Sapphire cease her chewing.

"What? Do I have something on my face?"

The boy blinked at the sudden realization that he was staring at her, but quickly noticed that she did indeed have something stuck on her face. "Yeah, you've got a bit of egg right… Here" He took out his hand and wiped the speck of food off the side of her lips with his thumb, making her blush furiously.

"Geez I've got my own hands, Dia! See?" She reached both of her arms out and squeezed his cheeks with her palms, both of them laughing heartily afterward.

"-Whatever you cooked, Diamond, It smells scrumptious!"

Diamond and Sapphire retaliated from their rather cutesy moment, looking away in different directions as Pearl sat in between them. He didn't seem to notice the slight tension between the two as he had just woken up.

He rubbed his eyes and yawned. "How long have you two been up?" He then realized, Diamond woke up earlier than he did. Pearl jumped up and screamed: "Has the world gone mad? Diamond, were you hit in the head THAT hard? You're awake!"

Diamond kept chewing, his droopy eyes remaining the same. "But I wake up earlier than you all the time, you just don't notice" Pearl sighed and began eating.

Ruby groaned a bit, before opening his crimson eyes. He then noticed, Platina was sleeping calmly beside him. He could feel her warmth and softness press against his leg slightly. He smirked, placing a blanket over her bear shoulders.

He suddenly noticed two big bumps in Sapphire's sleeping bag. _Don't tell me she- with Pearl…!_ His eyes narrowed on it, a vein in his head popped as he stomped towards the mass, yanking the sleeping bag open with great force. "How DARE you two do something like this, in OUR secret base as-" The sheets fell down, revealing two big pillows inside the sleeping bag. "-well… Oh."

Pearl stuck his head out from the kitchen because of the noise, and looking at Ruby's reaction, figured out what Ruby had thought he did with Sapphire. Platina rubbed her eyes and checked her watch. "Oh, it seems that I have over slept… What was all the screaming about, Ruby?" The lady got up, fixed her sleeping area daintily and observed Ruby's disgruntled posture. Ruby sighed and released the sleeping bag from his grip and greeted her good morning.

The blonde's face was seemingly splashed with red paint, down-casting his eyes, refusing to look at the ever-curious Diamond and Sapphire.

Sapphire docked her head to the side like a puppy. She looked back and forth, towards Pearl and Ruby seeing as the crimson-eyed boy entered the kitchen to join them for breakfast. Both boys didn't _dare_ look at each other as Platina suddenly followed Ruby's lead and ate breakfast with the rest. _Why is Pearl's face all red? Could it be that Ruby and Missy were doing something, weird?_

She then shot Platina a glance, but the lady simply kept eating, totally unaware of anything that was happening. _She doesn't seem like the type of girl who would… And with Ruby? No way! I must be imagining it. But still, I should stay alert!_

"How's about we visit Oldale Town? They're having a festival right now, complete with fireworks, booths and rides!" Pearl said, breaking the silence and grinning widely after. He read about it in a brochure about Hoenn when he arrived in the boat.

"Don't forget the festival food!" Dia managed to add in.

"Sounds like a brilliant idea, Pearl, Diamond!" The lady chirped.

Ruby and Sapphire blinked at each other at how fast the trio had made up their mind.

Platina smiled and patted her small mouth with a napkin as she finished her meal. "Why don't we all attend? Ruby, Sapphire?

"Why not?" Sapphire responded eagerly as she jumped up and tightened her fists. "Sapph, don't forget that it's _your _turn to do the dishes." He wiped his mouth clean and stacked a pile of plates onto her hands. "And about the festival, we'd absolutely _love_ to join you!" His eyes sparkled, while Sapphire's own eyes seemed to be put aflame.

* * *

The trio waited for the duo outside Ruby's house; the three of them wore their casual clothing. Pearl wore a sleek, orange sports jacket and lime-green pants; Diamond had a dark blue scarf around his neck, a dark red long-sleeved shirt and black baggy pants. Platina wore a beautiful, short, gray dress; complete with laced edges, trimmed with cream-colored ruffles. She also dawned white designer boots and a cream-colored bolero to boot. The trio eagerly waited for Ruby and Sapphire.

Meanwhile, inside Ruby's room, the crimson-eyed boy furiously yanked the brush through Sapphire's hair with full force. The girl screamed in pain. "OW! Watch it! I can feel that y'know!"

"I'm surprised you even get to, your hair's so tangled it's making me want to cut it all off!"

The girl's eyes darted all around the room, until she spotted a pair of stainless steel scissors. She grabbed it and handed it over to him. "Here ya go. If you can't get the darn brush through, might as well cut some off"

Ruby sighed and lowered her hand with his own. "I was exaggerating, Sapph. But honestly, brush your hair every once in a while! Sometimes you can be _such_ a barbarian!" She cringed angrily at the comment, but calmed down seeing as Ruby _was_ helping her out.

She sighed and reluctantly stared at her reflection through the mirror in front of her. "Thanks for answering to my time of need Ruby. It's just, with Missy strutting her pretty little self all around, it kinda makes me feel… ugly; with us bein' both girls n' stuff" She fidgeted with her knees and looked down, embarrassed.

Ruby's eyes softened as he smiled at her, the brush going through the caramel jungle more smoothly with every stroke of his expert hand. _You're perfectly fine the way you are, Sapphire._

"Well, you _could_ smell more like her. But everything else… You don't have to change at all"

"Hey! I bathe regularly and-"

"Stop moving, you're messing it up!"

After a few more brush strokes here and there, a tinge of hairspray and a pat from his hand, Sapphire's face was a lot more… Visible; now with the hair all styled neatly. Ruby fixed her white bonnet neatly and smoothed out the wrinkles on the edges of her black, hand-sewn shirt, complete with a matching white skirt.

"Gee, thanks Ruby! You're really good with all this hair and stuff!" She stood up and checked herself out in the mirror, but was blocked by Ruby. He dusted off his crisp, long white polo with rolled up sleeves; he also had designer jeans as well, but set the casual mood with a pair of red converse shoes.

"Sure enough; I can make anything look _beautiful_, even those deemed impossible to beautify!"

"Ya better watch what ya say unless you-"

"RUBY! SAPPHIRE! We've been waiting long enough-" Pearl barged in, his orange eyes widening at the sight of a well-groomed Sapphire in front of him. "Sorry for keeping you." Ruby replied, his brow raised in sudden realization at what Pearl was staring at. Sapphire looked down and blushed, before being lead out of the room by Ruby.

They 5 of them walked through the festival in awe.

"It didn't used to be this fun!" Sapphire cheerfully cried out, jumping up and down like a little girl brought into a theme park.

The scent of deep-fried fair food roamed the air, making Diamond's mouth water. Platina was more attracted towards the game booths that boasted Pokedoll prizes than to care about anything else; Pearl and Sapphire beamed at the temporary roller-coaster that had just been built which spurred a bunch of screams from the riders. Ruby, on the other hand, eyed the grand prize on a certain mallet-mashing game.

Sapphire noticed his gaze, and walked near him. "You wanna try it out, Ruby? Seems like ya really want the prize!"

He looked away embarrassed, but his gaze eventually was lead back onto the prize booth.

"So which one do you want, exactly?" Pearl curiously questioned the young man.

"He probably wants the box of chocolate Chansey eggs" Diamond chirped in, simultaneously munching away at a stick of cotton candy.

Ruby shook his head and lead the group away from the game. _I can't possibly show them that I can actually win that thing. It'll be too troublesome to explain everything!_

"Oh something just caught my attention. Anyway, where should we get started?"

"Oh! Oh! Can we ride something, PLEASE?"

"Good Idea, Sapphire! Let's go to the roller-coaster!" Pearl said, throwing a fist high up in the air.

Ruby's stomach suddenly turned, his eyes drooping as if he can already feel the twists and turns of the roller coaster's path. _N-not a good idea_.

"I'll pass that one out. I wouldn't want to get vomit all over my new white polo!"

"I'll pass this one out *omnom* as well, I still have 2 sticks *omnom* of barbeque I have *nom* yet to finish"

"I'm not too fond of these rides so-"

"No backing out for you, Missy!" Pearl beamed, grabbing her wrist and dragging her towards the line. Sapphire followed lead and held onto Platina's other hand. The lady gulped but was left powerless against the two most eager teens in the team.

Ruby eyed the fading trio and after a while, realized he was left alone with Diamond.

"So…" He said, trying to break the ice.

"Would you like some, Ruby?" The droopy-eyed boy asked, handing him a stick of barbeque.

Ruby narrowed his eyes on the sauce smeared all over Diamond's face and held up a palm in response. "N-no thanks. I just ate and… this shirt is new"

Diamond shrugged and continued eating. Ruby started tapping his foot in boredom, and then realized they have been waiting for more than 10 minutes. "They seem to be taking their time…"

"Why don't we try some games while waiting?" Diamond finished off one last piece of meat from his barbeque, before running towards a booth. Ruby sighed but figured he didn't have anything better to do.

"So what's this booth scamming you for? Is it the ring game? Or maybe the one where you need to knock all the bottles off the table?"

"Your first answer's right. The ring game. It's 5 bucks for 5 rings. Wanna try?"

"*Sigh* This is all for festival spirit and nothing else" The boys got their wallets out and payed the fat booth operator, the old man scratching his ass and handing them their rings soon after. Ruby held his in a disgusted way, with only two fingers pinching the rings in response to the man's way of _handling_ his booth.

"Y-you go first, Diamond. I don't think the germs died out just yet on this thing"

Diamond nodded, tossing a ring lightly towards the stack of bottle necks. He didn't manage to get it in. "Darn, and it looked so easy too"

Ruby sighed and decided to have a go. He tossed one red ring, but missed almost instantly. "Whoa. You're right. It _is _quite hard!"

Diamond eyed the crimson-eyed boy carefully, as Ruby continued using up all his rings sparingly.

"Oh well. Too bad, I should let Sapphire help me out when she comes back" Ruby held up his hands as if he gave all hope up.

"Hey Ruby. You're _faking _it, aren't you?"

Ruby's blood-red eyes narrowed as he looked at the droopy-eyed boy. "W-what could you possibly mean by that?"

_He's been faking his being a weakling all this time… At first I thought my trusty ability to observe and figure people out had been wavering, but with this I can confirm my theory._

"I think you can throw that right smack in the dead-center"

"I couldn't possibly-"

"We can make a bet!"

"...You're **on**"

* * *

_A/N: Bets? Sound familiar? Hehe!_

_It's interesting thinking about two characters that would most likely **never**  
end up as friends, to be in a situation wherein they have to be alone._

_Your reviews always make me smile and  
help me continue this story with  
zeal! So please,_

_REVIEW!  
_


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: While at school, I suddenly thought of a web of shippings that will make my story a very VERY interesting read. If you think it's good so far, I promise to make it much more interesting in the upcoming chapters! _

_Warning: This chapter might sound a bit like __**Chinese Fingertrap**__, which was actually an inspiration!_

* * *

"Alright Diamond, tell me more about this… **bet**" Ruby asked, keen on finding out what exactly this sleepy boy had in mind.

Diamond gave him a wide grin before continuing. _Now we'll see Ruby, what you're REALLY capable of!_

"See that **golden **Psyduck?" The beret-capped boy pointed at the booth with moving wooden Psyduck panels. "All you have to do is hit it with a ball and you win"

"What's in it for me?" Ruby asked, crossing his arms.

"Well I'm a pretty good Poffin chef, so I'll be whipping you up a nice _golden_ Poffin!"

Ruby's eyes sparkled as the word "golden" passed through his ears. He cleared his throat to hide the thrill he felt and looked up at Diamond.

"And if I lose?"

"Well, you'll have to… Uh" _I don't think he can possibly pass this chance up; no, he loves winning in contests too much to lose this bet._Diamond looked around until he spotted a bunch of girls giggling near the popcorn stand.

An idea popped in his head. _It doesn't matter what the condition is anyway, I'm sure Ruby can win hands-down. _

"Uhmm… You'll have to go into the Tunnel of Love booth with the first girl that touches you"

Ruby rolled his eyes and smirked. "Oh? Fair enough then. But this is a bet for both of us, so…"

Diamond raised his brow and shrugged at the thought. He didn't expect Ruby to think of a condition for him as well!

"See, this is how a bet works. Now, if YOU hit a golden Psyduck… I'll buy you all the fair food you want"

Diamond's mouth watered just thinking about the prize. Ruby continued.

"And if you just so happen to miss your aim, you'll have to go to the Tunnel of disgust- I mean… **Love**, with the first girl that touches YOU! Oh- and we'll only have one chance. I don't wanna waste any more cash"

Diamond blurred the 2nd half of the condition when he had heard the 1st. _Wow, an all-you-can-eat festival in Hoenn… _His mind replayed over and over again.

The time of the bet came as they paid an even fatter booth operator and received three voltorb-painted balls each. The conductor yawned and scratched his belly before cranking the lever to start the movement of the Psyduck panels.

Ever so slowly, Ruby started to calculate how much force, what angle and timing he should incorporate with this throw. Diamond simply chucked the first one in without hesitation.

"Wow! It's really hard!" He complained, immediately missing.

Ruby rolled his eyes and quietly continued analyzing. _If I only had my glasses with me!_

Diamond threw it like nothing for the second time, using up two out of three voltorb-balls. The booth operator chuckled and lazily placed a hand on his stomach. Ruby's eye twitched as he stomped towards Diamond.

"Aren't you even taking aim?"

"Uh, sure I am"

"No, you throw like… Like this!" Ruby copied Diamond, wobbling about the area as he chucked the ball effortlessly. It didn't even reach the panels.

"Oh sorry! I was looking the other way!" Dia replied, sluggishly turning his head towards him. Ruby's eye twitched in irritation as he mocked him one more time.

"Like THIS! You don't aim at all!" Ruby threw his own voltorb-ball for the second time, mimicking Diamond almost perfectly.

"Ohh… Yeah, I suppose I do need to aim _before_ throwing." Diamond stuck his tongue out and narrowed his eyes on the golden Psyduck in concentration, raised his arm and threw the ball.

PLOP!

It hit the red Psyduck.

"OH! Nice throw, boy! You win a candied-apple!" The operator gave him a toothy (some parts toothless) grin, and handed him a large, heart-shaped candy apple.

Diamond was about to eat his prize, until Ruby grabbed it and shoved it into Diamond's bag, clearly upset.

"DIAMOND! How could you subconsciously manipulate me to use up all of my voltorb-balls? Now I only have one left!" The crimson-eyed boy grabbed Diamond's collar and shook him about until he realized Diamond just lost the bet.

"HAH! Hey, you didn't hit the golden Psyduck!" Diamond sighed and looked around. No clear sign of any girl near them.

"We'll settle that later. You have one last try Ruby" Diamond realized he had to carefully observe this last shot. _Now I'll get to see if I was wrong in my theory about him or not._

Ruby sighed and gripped the ball tight. _I definitely NEED to win that Poffin!_

He took a deep breath, and threw the ball to the right. It bounced off the corner of the roof, the stick of someone's barbeque, a chair, a Pidgey, someone's head, the booth operator's nose, before flying towards the direction of the golden Psyduck. Seeing the impending success the ball was flying into, the operator quickly and secretly pressed a button on the floor, making the golden Psyduck switch colors.

PLOP!

It hit the black Psyduck.

"Aw too bad; you don't win anything. Sorry" The operator snickered, throwing himself back onto his tiny stool.

Ruby just gaped at the spectacle, obviously flabbergasted at the turn of events. Diamond smirked, convinced that despite the booth's cheating, Ruby still managed to show him that he's more than meets the eye.

"I guess that makes us **both** losers, huh?" Diamond said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Ruby continued to just stare at the black Psyduck. _I… Can't believe I actually LOST._

As he opened his mouth to start complaining about the trickery of the booth operator, a hand suddenly placed itself on his right shoulder.

When he turned around, he was astonished and shocked to find Platina behind him.

Her hair was a bit messed-up from the wind that flew through her hair in the roller-coaster ride, so she had to steady herself from falling with Ruby's shoulder.

Ruby continued to just gawk at her, remembering what Diamond had said about the bet."_The first girl that touches you; Tunnel of Love"_

"Huh? What's wrong Ruby? Is it p-possible that you rode a so called, "roller coaster" as well?" Platina struggled to say what was on her mind a bit, as she was still trying to relieve her dizziness.

Diamond looked awkwardly at them both, realizing how much he wanted to take the bets back. Then suddenly, Sapphire pounced on the poor boy.

"DIAMOND! You should've ridden the coaster as well! It was SOOOO much fun! Look, they even got a picture of us!"

Pearl followed her, laughing as he showed Diamond the photo. It had Platina, screaming like crazy, Sapphire and Pearl though were looking quite pleased with themselves as they grinned widely; posing a peace-sign even!

Diamond eyed Ruby, sighing. Pearl looked at them both and raised a brow.

"So, what did you both do while we were gone?" Diamond sighed once more, before saying:

"Well, we made a bet"

"And we both _lost_." Ruby continued.

"The condition was… We take the first girl that touches us to the Tunnel of Love"

Pearl looked at them idly for a second, along with Platina and Sapphire; before ultimately laughing like there was no tomorrow.

"T-TUNNEL OF L-LOVE? AHAHHAHA! Nice one! Alright, I guess you girls have no choice but to comply!"The blonde immediately pushed the four of them towards the Tunnel of Love ride, and even more so into their respective boats against their will.

"I can't STAND unfinished conditions and promises! You four have fun, ya hear?" Pearl gave them an enthusiastic wave, and then quickly ran towards the photo booth at the end of the ride. "I'll have three copies of couple boat numbers four and seventeen please!" The woman behind the booth nodded. Pearl rubbed his hands together, evidently thinking up a scheme. _Oh THIS'LL be good material for our upcoming sketch!_

* * *

And there they sat. Sapphire and Diamond in boat number four and Ruby and Platina in boat number seventeen.

* * *

Sapphire looked around and cringed as the pink lights reflected off of them. "EW! What IS this boring ride about?" She looked around for any sign of Ruby's boat, but the dark made it impossible. Ruby's boat floated towards the right tunnel and hers towards the left.

After a while, they slowly ventured into a red heart-themed room complete with a flying cupid-Jigglypuff and some other corny pokemon-love designs.

Diamond looked around and docked his head. "Well, it's a ride mainly for couples, Sapphire."

"Why would they wanna go to such a thing? All you do is sit in a boat and look at horrible mushy décor!"

Diamond chuckled. "Good point; I always thought that myself!"

The both of them laughed, but stopped due to Sapphire's grumbling stomach.

"Oops! I guess I got so psyched up by the roller-coaster that I forgot to grab a bite to eat…" She rubbed the back of her neck, embarrassed.

"Speaking of psyched-up, I played in that Psyduck booth and won a candied-apple. You can have it"

Diamond unzipped his bag and got the prize out. Sapphire's mouth fell wide open as she eyed the pink ribbon tied beautifully around the apple, complete with pink wrapper and stickers.

"I can really have this?"

"Yeah, why not? You seem hungrier than I do, and that's _saying_ something!" Diamond handed it over to her. Sapphire blushed furiously, before reaching out to receive it.

"Th-thanks… I've never received candy from any boy before… Ever"

Diamond's smile seemed to melt her heart; _So __**this**__ is how it feels when a boy gives you candy. All I received from Ruby are dresses and icky hair ties that get stuck in the trees I climb!_

She held onto the stick earnestly, unwrapping the paper with great care. _Must… Not… Rip-_*RIP!*

"Aw Snubble! I ripped the wrapping paper!"

"But Sapphire, it's what's inside that counts. Here, let me help you with that"

The boat was steady in its path; the both of them didn't mind the atmosphere anymore this time around though.

Diamond quickly removed the wrapping paper and nudged Sapphire to bite into it. She blushed even more as she bit the sweet treat.

She tried opening her mouth to chew, but to no avail as her teeth were stuck in the caramel that covered the fruit!

She mumbled some gibberish, attempting to ask him for help. Diamond blinked a few times at her, before realizing her problem. "Oh! Your teeth're stuck?"

Diamond attempted to yank the apple off her mouth, but the force was making the boat shake and her teeth wouldn't budge from the sticky caramel.

Sapphire sighed, plopping herself back down onto the boat's seat. "Ish impshble" she mumbled.

The lazy-eyed boy sighed, but came up with an idea.

"This might look and sound weird, but why don't I eat a bit off? Once the apple's munched up, it shouldn't take long for you to chew the remaining parts and free your mouth as well"

Sapphire didn't even listen as she simply nodded frantically at what Diamond suggested, the apple _still_ locked in her mouth.

Diamond nodded, changing his face into a serious one, as he bit onto the apple. It looked kind of strange if viewed from afar, as while Sapphire had the candied-apple stuck in her mouth, Diamond was busy chewing the other side.

Suddenly, without them noticing at all, *FLASH!* the camera cleverly situated in the corner, shot them.

Diamond continued munching away, too busy enjoying his sweet treat to notice the camera OR the increasing closeness their faces were getting. Sapphire was too busy caring about the later than about the camera.

"I'm almost done, just a bit more" Diamond said, as opened his mouth wide to accommodate the remaining parts of the fruit. Suddenly, the boat hit a sharp turn, causing them both to be thrown at the corner. Diamond hit his back against the boat's rim, Sapphire flew towards him, the little piece of candied-apple and Diamond's mouth meeting in the process.

Before they realized it, their lips were locked into a kiss. Diamond's mouth was wide open, and Sapphire seemed to fit his mouth perfectly.

…

Both were too shocked and flustered to actually move an inch. They just gawked at each other's eyes, and after about five seconds, threw themselves apart from each other. Diamond frantically chewed the apple that was unexpectedly transferred into his own mouth.

"UHH, I didn't mean for that t-to happen! I'm sorry!" Diamond hurriedly explained right after, his face practically as red as a tomato.

Sapphire continued to stare at him, before touching her lips as if to see if it was all real. _Did I just kiss Diamond?_


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Glad you all are getting through my weird fetish for mixing up canon pairings! _

_ hope I make enough sense of it through words._

* * *

(This chapter's timeframe is taking place at exactly the same time as the previous chapter)

Boat seventeen flowed silently towards the other half of the tunnel, with the décor all around being no different from the left side. Red velvet cascaded all around them, complete with stick-on hearts and stars.

"I must say how incredibly _tacky_ this entire design is" Ruby said, breaking the silence as he peered onto the rotating Pikachu cupid display.

"I wouldn't think so; besides… I believe it seems kind of, _adorable_"

Ruby looked at her as she replied, and sighed. _How long is this going to take exactly?_

"While we're here, maybe I can ask you a few more questions about-"

"Please cease that, by the way, Ruby. I have told you that it was because of Pearl and Diamond's training and wit that I had won the contests I joined"

Both of them looked away and sighed. _Despite Ruby being agreeable at times, I would much rather enjoy the light-hearted atmosphere my dearest Pearl and Diamond convey…_

After 2 more minutes of complete silence, the boat passed through a section full of hanging, red Luvdisc décor. One particular Luvdisc was still dripping in red paint and the boat was headed towards a path that would pass underneath it.

Ruby's eyes grew large as he thought of a way to evade such a menace to his crisp and new white polo shirt. He looked around frantically, but to no avail as they were less than a foot away, so he quickly stood up and dodged the drips.

"Whew! That was definitely a close call; I would **hate** getting my clothes all filthy!"

Ruby plopped back onto the boat's seat, until Platina's silence caught his attention.

"Huh? Ms. Berlitz? Is anything wro-" Suddenly, her wide and dark eyes reflected his own face, and the absence of a white hat on his head made his heart skip a beat.

"M-m-my… MY HAT! Where's my hat?" He hysterically twists and turns, making the boat shake. He then spotted his hat; as it hung over the arrow of a Pikachu cupid display. _It must've been caught there when I dodged the paint_… He released his Popo and ordered him to bring his hat back.

Platina simply continued to stare at the young man. Her mouth and eyes wide open. _Those dark black locks, his scar… I __**know**__ him! I've met him before!_

She closed her eyes and began to transport her mind onto the memory.

* * *

_It was a warm and toasty Christmas night. The Berlitz family was hosting a Christmas party for all their friends, relatives and business associates in their large mansion. Platina was barely 7 years old and with small arms and feet, was lost in a crowd of guests._

_She wore a beautiful white dress, complete with Ruby-encrusted hairclips to pin the sides of her hair down. She worriedly ran around in search for her dear Butler, whom at that time was busy entertaining the needs of the party guests._

"_Where could he be? I was supposed to be with father an hour ago…" She ran around until she ended up outside at the veranda of her home._

_She continued running until she knocked over a Pokemon that was serving some __hors d'oeuvres. The tray flew into the air, splattering food all over her no-longer white dress._

_The pokemon cried out and ran away to get more, as Platina just sat there, her dark eyes starting to fill with tears._

_It was so noisy and crowded that everyone failed to notice her, until a boy about her age came up to the crying girl._

"_Whoa! What happened to you?" He asked, as he offered a hand. She looked up at him and observed her savior._

_He had very handsome features, dark raven hair with two scar marks on the side and beautiful, striking red eyes. He wore a black tux fit for an 8-year old, complete with a white bow-tie and a red rose pinned on the side._

"_Th-thank you very much" She said as she accepted his hand, her cheeks beginning to blush as she got up. "And your n-name would be…?"_

"_There's no time for that!" [The stains will sink in!] He went closer and observed her dress._

"_You must be devastated! Look at you, all soaked and dirtied!" Ruby thought; [Talk about a perfect way to ruin a designer outfit! How clumsy can you get?]_

_All the while, Platina thought; [How sweet of him to worry so much about me… He's so handsome too!]_

"_I'm… I'm going to be fine…" She said._

"_No! Definitely not! Come, let's clean you off." [Going around a party dressed like __**that**__? You'll put in a bad name for kids our age!]_

_He gently held onto her wrist and cleared a path for them so as they can run off to the bathroom. Platina continued to blush furiously as she tightened her grip around his hand._

_They found a powder room and went in, as Ruby, with his gentlest of hands and expert eye; cleaned almost all the stains off her gown._

"_I say, you're very good at cleaning… Quite unexpected for a boy" Platina said, giggling slightly._

_Ruby twitched but continued. "Yes, people say that all the time about me. But I try not to think about how different I am"_

"_Why is that?"_

"_Because… I've __**always**__ been like this, alright? It's… The way I am…" His voice gradually softened as he continued: "I will never go back to the way I __**was**__. Never…"_

"_Pardon?"_

"_N-nothing!" Ruby wiped off the remaining stains. He got more pieces of tissue and wiped her hair next. His soft hands and their closeness made Platina embarrassed, but it had warmed her heart unexpectedly. _

_Platina smiled as they headed towards the door as he finished off. "Just PLEASE be careful about where you go next time! Bye!"_

_And with that, the boy dashed off into the crowd. She tried catching up to him, but with the crowd occupying every corner of the room, all she could do was stare blankly at the direction he ran; wishing she had learned of his name._

"_What a strange and __**charming**__ boy…"_

_

* * *

_

Platina shook her head as she snapped back to reality.

"You… I remember you!"

"Huh? I have NO idea what you're talking about!" By this time, Ruby had Popo back in his pokeball and his trusty white hat back on his head.

"R-remember? Don't you recall the Christmas party in the Berlitz house?"

Ruby furrowed his brow, until he looked up at her, suddenly remembering the scenario.

"OH! The girl with the messed-up dress… It was you? Who would've thought…" The crimson-eyed boy rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. _I remember that party vaguely! All I know is that I helped this girl out because her dress was practically a monstrosity. But __**she**__ seemed to remember it quite differently…_

"Yes! So you DO remember!" Delighted, the lady sprang up and wrapped her arms around him.

Suddenly, *FLASH!* the camera shot them.

"W-what… What are you doing Ms. Ber-"

"I'm simply delighted I finally get to meet you once again! And who would've thought your name all this time, was Ruby? It bothered me to no end, not knowing your name!"

Ruby managed to shake her off, panting right after; _Did the camera just shoot us? OH GOOD LORD._

"Look, Platina… That was a _long_ time ago!"

"I… I've never stopped thinking about you ever since…" She said, looking down, her cheeks splashed with pink.

Ruby gulped and looked around for any "Emergency Exit" sign. _I've HEARD this scenario before! Oh this has __**trouble**__ written all over it…_

* * *

_A/N: Enjoying so far? I know I am! Tee-hee! Don't forget those __**reviews**__ of which I love so very much! _

_Sorry to cut it short but I promise to make the next chapter awesome! _


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: Sorry for the long wait guys! Just a case of writer's block._

_*A little note. **A vein popping** would mean the angry sign in anime expressions we see so often in manga and anime shows.  
I use it so often I wonder if you guys get what I mean. hehe!_

_

* * *

_

After around 20 minutes of waiting, the lady managed to compile the photos of boat numbers four and seventeen. Pearl was growing impatient as he tapped his foot repetitively, staring at the monitors for feedback.

"Uhm, I think I've been waiting long enough"

The lady nodded, flushing slightly after getting a good glimpse of the pictures from her own monitor. "I'm terribly sorry sir, but these photos are too explicit to be shown to the public, you'll just have to wait 2 hours until the photos are done printing"

His orange eyes widened as the booth operators words slowly registered in his brain. "Ex… Explicit! And what the HELL do you mean by-"

Suddenly, a hand placed itself on his raised shoulders. It belonged to Diamond.

"Hey buddy. Sorry for keeping you"

"What the hell did you do in there-"

"Did ya have to wait long, Pearl? Let's hurry to another ride!" Sapphire cut in immediately.

"Before anything else, tell me what you both did in-"

"Pearl! I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for a while!" Platina suddenly appeared near them, grinning widely.

"Hold on, I wanna know exactly what y-"

"That ride was seriously tacky. They should use the festival space for pokemon contests instead" Ruby piped in, shaking his head.

"HOLD ON GUYS, Shut it!" The blonde furiously screamed and stomped his foot onto the ground in anger. The four of them looked at one another, blushed furiously, then looked down in embarrassment.

Pearl continued. "First off, what happened between you two in the Love ride? Sapphire, Diamond?"

The three of them eyed Diamond as he looked like he was about to say something. He opened his mouth, only to pop candy inside it to avoid the spotlight. Sapphire grumbled and rolled her eyes. "It's a LOOONG story; the ride was pretty boring anyways" She said, faking a yawn as she stretched her arms.

Pearl and Ruby popped a vein as they simultaneously eyed Diamond and Sapphire in observation.

Ruby narrowed his eyes onto the lazy-eyed boy a tad bit more. _He couldn't have possibly done anything with her… Diamond doesn't show interest in anything other than food anyway._ Ruby placed a relieved hand on his forehead and sighed.

Pearl on the other hand, crossed his arms and started tapping his foot, looking at them both. _Diamond definitely isn't the type who'd pull off a stunt with a girl, but he **has** been hit in the head recently, and Sapphire proves to be quite unpredictable… And what's the deal with the booth lady calling their photo "explicit"? _He continued looking at Sapphire and Diamond, until the merry tune Platina was humming made his ear twitch. The blonde quickly shifted his gaze towards his good friend, who seemed to happily stare into space, content in her own world. _Missy… She's… She's HUMMING? What the hell happened with her and Ruby in there!_

"You, Missy"

Pearl's voice snapped her back into reality.

"Uhm, yes Pearl?"

"Maybe something had happened with you and **Ruby **instead?" Pearl raised a brow at her and gave her a don't-try-and-lie-yourself-out-of-this-one look.

She innocently docked her head to the side and stared at Pearl, making him blush furiously after figuring out that she doesn't understand what he had meant at all. _W-well, if she's so clueless about it… What was that lady talking about? Maybe I got the numbers wrong…_He was about to brush it off, until Ruby's eye twitching caught his attention.

"Well Ruby? Maybe _you_ can tell us"

"Yeah Ruby, what **did **ya guys do?" Sapphire insisted as she stuck her face up to Ruby's, her nose all scrunched up and hands on her hips.

Ruby looked away and held the back of his neck. "Do you have any idea what they're trying to get out of us, Ms. Berlitz? I certainly don't"

"If ya good at anything, it's forgetting…" Sapphire sighed and quickly turned around, trying to hide how pissed she was.

"Don't play dumb Ruby. Did you kiss Missy or what?" Everyone suddenly turned their heads toward Diamond, who seemed to have a _serious_ expression on his face; much to everyone's surprise!

"I… I did no such thing!" He raised his palms up and waved them in front of him, fending off both Pearl and Diamond from getting any closer. Pearl stepped near him and glared at his red eyes with his orange ones.

"Are you SURE? Because there **will** be pictures to prove if you're lying or not"

"P-PICTURES?" Sapphire and Diamond screamed in unison; all attention was suddenly shifted towards them now.

"Yeah, pictures. There was a hidden camera incase couples (or blackmailers *cough*) wanted souvenirs"

Ruby immediately took advantage of the change in topic as he went closer to Sapphire, eager to know why they reacted to such a fact.

"Didn't you notice it flash? Or were you both busy doing… something else?"

Sapphire looked away and blushed, Diamond didn't do any better as he had ran out of food to munch on. They both had very little means of escape. If they lied, they'd only be proven wrong with the picture. If they told them what happened, they would immediately rush into conclusions. Or at least, that's what Sapphire thought.

Ruby's vein popped as he crossed his arms in irritation. "Well? Are you going to answer me or not, Sapphire?"

She continued looking away, until the beating of her nervous heart couldn't take it anymore. "I.. I've got to go to the bathroom!"

"Hold it!" Ruby immediately ran towards her and grabbed her arm with great speed. She flinched and tried gnawing his arm off with her fanged-teeth. He resisted. The trio looked at them, not knowing how to interfere with such a dilemma.

"Would you stand still for a moment?"

"Why should I? I said I gotta pee!"

"Answer me first, Sapph!"

"You didn't even ask me anything! Let go!" Sapphire tried to yank his arm off, but he firmly held onto it for dear life.

"You didn't just **sit there**, did you? Why didn't you see the camera when it flashed?"

She looked away and gave up trying to resist him.

"Why does it even matter to ya? Why are you so bent on knowing?"

Ruby blushed and flinched a bit at the question, but changed immediately back to serious mode.

"I asked you **first**! Did you or did you not do anything with Diamond?"

"I **forgot**." Sapphire rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out right after.

"You, forgot?"

"Ya heard me"

Ruby loosened his grip, clenched his fists and looked down. Sapphire did the same.

"I see…"

Sapphire looked up, curious of his facial expression, but couldn't get a clear view of his eyes as Ruby turned his face away slightly, his mouth curved downwards.

"Well it's no use then, seeing as you _forgot_"

"Guess so"

He sighed. She gritted her teeth.

"Let's head back then, we kinda wandered off"

She didn't answer as she silently nodded, eyeing Ruby's back as he walked in front of her.

* * *

"Well Diamond? Looks like you're hiding something from us" Pearl crossed his arms and looked at his friend, who was keen on keeping his mouth shut.

He looked at Platina, who seemed to not understand what they were talking about at all. _Well, at least Missy's clueless about carnivals and rides..._

He looked up at Pearl, trying to think of a way to explain what had happened.

"We were... Eating a candied apple you see..."

"Candied apple? Both of you?"

Diamond's cheeks suddenly had a pinkish hue.

"Y-yeah.. Well, she got her teeth stuck-"

"Sorry for wandering off" Ruby suddenly interrupted them, followed by Sapphire.

"Did I miss anythin?"

*BOOM* Suddenly, fireworks started to shoot out from all directions in the sky. The black of the night was illuminated with a dozen sparkling colors. All five of them suddenly silenced themselves in awe.

"How absolutely beautiful... I've never seen anything so lovely before!" Platina's eyes sparkled as she stared into the sky. Diamond was taken aback by how beautiful she was as different colored lights reflected against her flawless skin. "It's your first time seeing fireworks, Missy?"

"Oh, I've seen a display before, but it's much better being watched with such good friends" She smiled, and in turn, all four of them smiled back at her.

They decided to go to an open field, sloping downwards into a small lake. It faced the night sky so perfectly that all of them were able to get a good view of the fireworks.

Diamond, Platina, Pearl, Sapphire and Ruby sat respectively beside one another. "We got fireworks in Sinnoh, but this is _serious_ competition!" Pearl said, pointing at the white and blue sparks exploding simultaneously.

"You should visit us often, Pearl! That way, you'll always be able to watch all the time" Sapphire giggled and looked at him. The blonde quickly blushed and looked down. "Y-yeah, we'll think about it..."

"Fireworks seem like a wonderful addition to Nana's introduction for the Hyper Expert Rank competition!" Ruby's eyes sparkled as he envisioned it all in his head. Sapphire once again, stuck her tongue out in disagreement.

"These are the types of fireworks that should go off when I win gym battles!"

Diamond shook his head. "Both of you are wrong. These are the types of fireworks that go off when Pearl gets really pissed!"

There was a brief silence, before everyone started laughing hysterically. "I agree, I agree!" Ruby added. Pearl fumed.

Suddenly, the intercom made an announcement. "Attention, the photos for boat numbers four and seventeen are ready for pick-up at the Love Ride Photo Booth"

Suddenly, in a split second, Pearl, Ruby and Sapphire's eyes narrowed dangerously as they sprinted towards the booth, disappearing in a cloud of dust.

"...Go get 'em Sapphire" Diamond mumbled under his breath.

* * *

Pearl was behind Sapphire, and she was behind Ruby as they raced through crowds of people. The three of them were muttering to themselves as they hit a few bumps along the road. Pearl accidentally shoved a little kid out and had to stop to check if he was all right, and Sapphire tripped over a popcorn box, allowing Ruby the opportunity to lead. _That Sapphire is hiding something from me, I just know it!_

Sapphire got up and cringed at the bruise she got from falling. _Whatever happens, Ruby **can't** see that photo!_

She managed to catch up to him after a few seconds, but to no avail as he already had the photo in hand.

He stared at it for a while, not moving an inch. Pearl was still far away, busy with the kid who was now crying and flailing his arms like mad. Sapphire was around a feet away from Ruby, not knowing how to approach him. _Oh god, what could he be thinking? I need to explain..._

"It might look like we're kissin, but-"

"S-so, apparently you're interested in g-guys" Ruby bit his lip, blocking out images of him punching Diamond, from his mind.

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

"I always thought you had no interest in anything remotely close to what _normal_ girls like, so it just took me by surprise" He continued looking down, unable to look her in the eye.

Her sky-blue eyes started to fill with tears. "Normal? NORMAL! And YOU think a boy loving beautiful things and contests is _normal_! What planet do YOU come from?" She tightened her fists.

"Earth. Maybe you've heard of it? Over here, we take baths regularly, wear clothes... and, oh yeah. We don't go around **making out** with random strangers!"

* * *

Pearl managed to shut the kid up by buying him a lollipop. "Whew. Now that that's over, time to head to the photo booth" He quickly made his way through the crowd, but stopped as he caught a glimpse of Sapphire and Ruby bickering. _Looks like trouble. The photo has done its damage!_

He walked around them, the bickering duo completely ignoring him as he did. Pearl managed to get one copy of each of the photos, Ruby's boat and Sapphire's boat. He eyed Diamond and Sapphire's, his orange orbs narrowing on their lips. "HOLY- did this really happen?" He then switched his view to Platina's photo. "W-wait, is she _hugging _Ruby? She never hugs or does anything remotely close to that with us!"

He kept switching his attention from the photos to Ruby and Sapphire. _Nope, I **still** can't make sense out of it all..._

Sapphire's attention was caught towards Pearl. She gave Ruby an icy glare, before marching towards Pearl and grabbing Ruby's photo in the process.

She stared at it for two seconds, then five seconds, then a minute.

She said nothing.

Ruby stayed silent, unable to explain how that happened either. Pearl was too confused to make any move.

"Hm, you seem to like _embracing_ random strangers.. Don't'cha? At least **Missy** won't get your clothes dirty when she touches you" And with that, a teary-eyed Sapphire, with the photo clutched in her hand, ran off towards the crowd.


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: Whew! 12__th__ Chapter... I do hope everyone's still entertained by now. This is the longest I've ever written so, I hope you guys enjoy!_

_**P.S. I've inserted other Dex-Holders for some cameos. See if you could spot-them-all!**_

_And a special THANK YOU to __**Arrowfoot the Dragon**__ for never ceasing your support and supplying me with the constructive,  
delightful and most-awaited reviews so far!  
You've really helped me improve and keep-at-it so I hope you can stick with my story 'til the very end._

_

* * *

_

Sapphire ran as far as her speedy legs would take her, though it wasn't an easy task when you're faced with a massive crowd going against you. Ruby was caught between two tides; think about what to say to her first, or run after her and think of it on impulse.

"How can you just let her go? Run After her!" Pearl fumed, looking back and forth between him and where Sapphire ran towards.

"She's probably going to the bathroom like she said, so I can't even if I wanted to"

"You think she can just pee this off? How can you be so insensitive? That girl gets into seriously **weird** situations when she's angry!" And with that, Pearl disappeared before Ruby's eyes. The crimson-eyed boy kept his eyes on the photos he had in his grip. _Psh, if she was going to be __**that**__ simple to figure out, I would've had her much soo-_

"Hey buddy?"

"WHAT DO YOU WANT!" He yelled, his ruby-red eyes narrowing.

"Geez take it easy! It's P350 per photo so..."

Ruby shook his head and held the bridge of his nose with his hand. _I lost my temper again; to this store clerk, Pearl __**and**__ Sapphire. How could I just let my feelings go like that?_

"Really dude, there's a line behind you. Are'ya buying these photos or not?" The store clerk added, tapping his fingers on the table. Ruby looked behind him as his gaze met the eyes of a bunch of unhappy and impatient couples who simply wanted their photos now. Ruby quickly changed his persona expertly, and handed him the payment.

"Ahahaha! Sorry about that. Here's some money. Keep the change"

As the store clerk counted the bills, he looked at Ruby with a smirk. "Wow, you must be loaded man. Having Lady Berlitz as a girlfriend, you must be living the high life!" Ruby heaved an irritated sigh as he glanced at the booth operator's nametag. It read, "_Hi, my name is Gold_."

"I suggest you keep to yourself when you work, _Gold_. And, she **isn't** my girlfriend."

"Huh? Then what're you doing hugging her in the picture?"

"SHE was the one embracing ME thank you very much"

"Ahh, playing hard to get aye? Nice, nice!"

"I am most certainly NOT."

"Seriously? Dude, you need to introduce me to her and-" Suddenly a blue-haired girl with the same uniform as Gold stomped into the booth.

"Hey Gold, quit your yapping and start working! Look how many people are in line!"

"Yeah yeah, shush it Kris" Ruby rolled his eyes, walked away and stuffed the pictures in his pocket save for one; the photo of Sapphire and Diamond.

_Looks like we __**both**__ have some explaining to do._

_

* * *

_

"That JERK! At least what happened to me was an accident, but both of them couldn't have done _that_ by mistake!" Sapphire violently wiped some tears off her cheek with an arm, sitting beside a narrow river on the side of the festival.

"He even got his hat off for her! He doesn't even let **me** see his hair..."

"Why? Is it like an afro or something?" Suddenly, a certain blonde sat beside the crying caramel-head.

"H-huh?" She flushed and avoided his gaze as he sat beside her. "What do_ you_ want?"

Pearl sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I recall something like _this_ happening not too long ago... Uhm, yesterday? You ran off because of **him**."

She giggled. "Oh yeah! When we got paralyzed and stuff! Good times..." She sighed as she looked at the stars, seeming to forget why she was so upset in the first place.

"You know Sapphire..." He looked at her with compassion and wisdom, his orange eyes sparkling with the stars. It made her heart beat faster. "You keep running away from it all, but why don't you stick around long enough for him to explain himself?"

He eyed her as he reminded himself of how he himself one through a similar ordeal. _That's what I learned from Missy. I didn't give her the chance to explain herself before with the slot-machine dilemma, and I ended up getting angry for the wrong reason._

"It's because the explanation always ends up as a stupid squabble! Y'know what I mean?" She heatedly wrapped her arms around her head and groaned.

"But I think you both know enough about each other to-"

"Look, whatever you say now WON'T change the fact that Ruby found the girl of his dreams. I'm happy for him, ya know?"

"Whoa, aren't you getting **way** ahead of yourself? That was ONE booth ride! And the photo doesn't prove anything!"

Sapphire sniffed and looked up at Pearl. Her vulnerable state shined through her teary-cerulean eyes as she whimpered at the blonde like a puppy. His heart melted and blood suddenly rushed to his cheeks.

"I don't even know WHY I care so much! I mean... It's just... Ruby!"

Pearl hid his face with an arm and looked away. "Yeah, **you** got me stumped about that too." _I'm a boy. All this talk about feelings and stuff, isn't my thing at all..._

"It's funny *sniff* how you always see me at my most pathetic moments. Sorry about that"

"I'm your friend." He beamed her a pearly-white smile. "And friends help you shine when you're at your worst."

Suddenly, Sapphire started giggling. Pearl raised a brow. "And what the hell's so funny? I wasn't being a comedian just then!"

"I'm SORRY! It's just that... Ahaha, you can be _so_ corny sometimes!"

He looked at her, the way her shoulders moved as she laughed. His ears twitched as her light and defined voice filled his ears with laughter. The way her caramel locks danced as light wisps of wind blew along them...

_Holy Snubble._ Pearl gulped. _This is exactly what my dad warned me about!_

"Why? What's wrong? Sorry, I'm done laughing now!"

"I-it's just..." He attempted to look at her, but he couldn't make his face less red with willpower. "GAH! Forget about it!" _What's wrong with me! _

"Y'know, I heard from Platina how you're an awesome strategist and everything. I wanna see you in battle soon!" Sapphire chirped in, thinking a change of subject is in order. _Ruby this and Ruby that, he's probably sick to his stomach talking about Ruby!_

"Well... Being a gym leader's son helps a lot"

"NO WAY" _He can't be serious!_

"Yeah way. I'm Volkner's son. He's the 8th gym leader to beat in Sinnoh"

"Seriously? **Exactly** like Ruby! Only, his dad is assigned here in Hoenn!"

"Oh? I wouldn't have assumed that at all from what I've seen..."

"I know right? He's just crazy about pokemon contests and beauty. I don't understand him at all!" _Even if he's strong and capable of power, he still chooses the opposite path. Up to now..._

Pearl smiled as he watched her stretch her arms casually. She continued, "Man, I'd **love** to spar with you or your dad one day, he must be pretty strong!"

"You should! I've got an idea. How's about I come here for festivals, while you return the favour by coming over to visit in Sinnoh once in a while?"

Sapphire nodded and raised an enthusiastic fist in the air. "Sounds AWESOME to me!"

Pearl sighed and got up, offering her a hand. _Great. She's smiling again. And I always thought __**Diamond**__ was the only guy who had the ability to make anyone smile. Turns out I've got a few tricks up my stripped-sleeve too!_

_

* * *

_

_They're really taking their time, aren't they?_ Diamond thought as he eyed the ever-curious lady that stood beside him. "Are you hungry, Missy?"

"No, I'm quite fine."

"Good to hear..." He sighed and looked at his feet. _I wonder if she __**did**__ do anything with Ruby in that ride..._He shook his head. _No! Who am I kidding? She's a lady for crying out loud!_

"Diamond, I wonder... Why did you ask if I've done anything with Ruby in the ride? Wasn't that amusing contraption made to exploit the sensation of boat rides through rivers?"

"Uhm... How should I say this, uh..."

Suddenly, they heard a very loud-mouthed girl squeal beside them. "Seriously, Red! You and Yellow WILL go to the Love Ride if it's the last thing I _make_ you do"

"Pesky girl" A light-brown haired boy hissed beside her.

"Oh who asked you, Green?"

"I-I don't think it's a good idea, Blue!" A blonde girl with a straw-hat begged.

The eldest, a tall and handsome black-haired boy sighed and followed the rest. "What's the point of this ride anyway?"

Blue rolled her eyes and stopped the group in their tracks as she folded her arms and tapped her foot irritably. Diamond and Platina's attention turned towards her as she explained.

"You **can't** be serious. Ok, listen up." She held her hands in a dreamy fashion, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "The Love Ride booth is where love blossoms. A couple or a pair of friends rides in a boat for ten-or-so minutes, completely shut-off from the rest of the distraction-inducing world. Slowly, but surely, they get coaxed into romance as they pass through love-themed decor! And you all know what that means!"

"They hold hands?" Yellow chirped, blushing furiously.

"Their pokemon get along?" Red added.

"They drown?" Green mumbled. Blue punched him in the arm.

"Wrong, wrong and WRONG. They either confess their feelings, or maybe even... KISS!" And suddenly, Blue landed a peck on an unsuspecting Green, making him groan and jump away from the group as they laughed and headed towards the ride.

Platina placed a hand under her shoulder and furrowed her brows in thought.

"K-kissing? The act of making two individuals' lips meet? We were supposed to do such a thing?"

Diamond blushed and scratched the back of his neck. "That's the idea..."

"Oh my!" She placed her delicate hands on her lips and widened her eyes. _Ruby must've known rides like that are meant for such a thing... But, despite knowing such, he didn't so much as lift a finger to touch me! _She blushed a light pink hue as she remembered every minute of the ride. (She's pretty good at remembering details, isn't she?) _I've never met __**any**__ boy who is as refined and gentlemanly as Ruby is..._

Diamond gulped then cleared his throat. "So uhm, Missy? Did you kiss Ruby or anything?"

The lady shook her head. "We simply _embraced_. Turns out I've met him a long time ago, back in my childhood. I only recalled the memory when I saw him without his hat"

Diamond sighed. _Whew! That takes a __**giant**__ load off my shoulders then!_

"How about you, Diamond? Did you do anything romantic with Sapphire?" She batted her long eyelashes as she gave him a surprisingly mischievous smile.

The lazy-eyed boy sighed and rubbed the back of his head. _Not even a hint of jealousy? Come on Missy, I deserve more than that!_ "Well, uhm. It was quite a mix-up and"

"So you both indeed, kissed?" Her eyes widened.

"I can explain! Uhm, she ate the candied-apple and-"

"You gave her mouth-to-mouth to save her from _choking?_ I'm listening" A crimson-eyed boy suddenly interrupted, their photo clutched in his hand.

Diamond gulped. _Aw, not now Ruby!_


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: I'm absolutely THRILLED a number of you have stumbled over my little story, I hope you read and review each and every chapter from now on! Every review helps me a great deal!_

_I am also glad you guys are slowly getting accustomed to the idea of my new pairings. I personally hate crack pairings and find it a challenge (A deliciously fun challenge at that) to make sense out of the love triangles/pentagon. __**As the story progresses, the connections will deepen, so I hope you stick around for that!**_

_**

* * *

**_

Sapphire and Pearl walked side by side to the photo booth, since they still thought Ruby was there waiting. The blue-eyed girl had a fanged grin slapped across her face, and the blonde was not too far off her mood, grinning sheepishly at his self-proclaimed accomplishment.

As they made their way there, a couple of local Oldale students, with their high-knee socks and miniskirts to boot, walked up to them with sparkling eyes. "Excuse me, we can't help but wonder if you'll be interested in our little booth!"

Sapphire docked her head to the side, while Pearl raised a brow. "Huh?" Was all the blonde could say in reply.

The girls rolled their eyes, (which pissed him off a lot) and handed him and Sapphire a light-pink colored flyer that read:

"Is it just a **Fling or **is it **Fate?  
**Try out our booth as we give you a series of challenges  
that will test you and your lover's ability to endure hardships together!  
Only by winning shall you be deemed _meant to be together_"

Sapphire turned red as she tore the flyer into bite-sized pieces. "Ya kidding me? We ain't no cou-"

"No, Sapphire… I can NEVER turn down a challenge! Besides, look at the sweet prize"

"Huh? What are you blabbering on about?"

"Read what it says!"

The blonde pointed at the prize list, and as Sapphire diverted her attention towards his lead, her cerulean eyes widened in awe.

"A vacation for FIVE to Luvdisc Beach?" Sapphire looked simultaneously between Pearl and the flyer. "They must be scamming us; it's too good to be true!"

"Ou contraire. We certainly aren't scamming you. We got a sweet sponsorship deal you see, so this prize is as real as your love for him!" The school girls gave them a satisfied smirk before grabbing their wrists, leading them towards the booth. "You both look totally cute together, it's about time you show everyone else your undying love!"

Sapphire stuck her tongue out in total disgust at the thought of looking good with _anyone_, while Pearl looked away as his face turned red. "Pearl-" Sapphire whispered. "What if they find out we ain't a couple? Won't that disqualify us?"

"Then we'll have to act it out the best we can, don't we?" _A __**free**__ vacation just for going through a bunch of stupid games? How can we just pass this chance up?_

"Guess so…" _Darn I hope Ruby doesn't get to see this!_

_

* * *

_

"Come now, Diamond. I'm listening" Ruby tapped his foot impatiently as he handed him a photo of boat number four.

Platina's cheeks reddened instantly as her eyes scrolled through every detail of the photograph. Diamond's throat went dry as he gawked at her, completely dumbfounded on what to say.

"W-well… I gave Sapphire a candied apple, and she got her teeth stuck"

The crimson-eye boy nodded, but kept his serious face intact. Platina was still at a loss for words.

"And we couldn't yank it out because I'd fall over the boat, and she couldn't chew herself out because she bit onto it too deeply"

"Why didn't you just pour water over it to moisten the caramel? That would've worked!" Ruby fumed, placing his hand over his eyes in irritation.

"What, the ride water? That's gross!" Diamond said, sticking out his tongue in emphasis. Platina was absorbing the information and regained composure as she pictured the scenario in her head.

"That savage drinks ALL KINDS of water. And besides, I'm sure that would've been less disgusting than kissing you!"

Diamond, after all the garbage he had went through as a kid, with people calling him "pig" and "slowpoke" all the time, was totally opposite Pearl when it comes to being insulted. He simply shrugged.

"Why is it that you are very worked up, Ruby? Diamond was only trying to help her from the evidence and the photo! Their eyes show total shock, as their pupils are evidently dilated." The lady placed a hand on her chin in deep thought.

Diamond sighed. _Thanks Missy, but really now… You aren't the least bit jealous or upset about me kissing her?_

Ruby thought hard and looked at Diamond. "Don't get me wrong, Ms. Berlitz. I'm just concerned about Diamond; for all we know, Rabies could be spreading throughout his body even as we speak!"

Platina giggled and blushed as she looked at the head-strong, raven-haired boy that stood in front of her. _That might mean he has no interest in Sapphire at all! From what I've heard, it all seems to point at that very fact…_

Suddenly, an announcement was being broadcasted throughout the festival grounds. "_Attention folks, we have a new __**challenger**__ in the __**Fling or Fate**__ booth! Come and watch as the daring couple __**Pearl and Sapphire**__ face a series of tests to see if they have indeed been fated together!"_

Their names echoed through the trio's ears. Ruby popped a vein, Diamond and Platina simply froze in shock.

"Did they seriously say Pearl?"

"How very surprising indeed! I had no idea they were together!"

Ruby kept quiet as he looked down onto the ground. _You're seriously pissing me off Sapphire. How DARE you get together with a guy you just met a day ago! You… You…!_

"Ms. Berlitz, why don't we give them a bit of a challenge?"

"H-huh? Whatever do you mean, Ruby?"

Diamond's eyes widened. _I do __**not**__ like where this is going_.

"Why don't we enter the contest, just to make things a little more fun?"

Platina suddenly remembered the announcement, and her face flushed at the idea. _Me and Ruby? I suppose it __**is**__ just a friendly game… I guess there is no harm in joining._

"It sounds quite challenging. Let us join"

Diamond was at a loss of words as Ruby already grabbed the lady to lead them towards the booth. Sadly, all the droopy-eyed boy could do was sigh and hope none of the fake couples turn into real ones that day.

* * *

"Sheesh did they have to announce it to the entire Hoenn region?"

"Calm down Sapphire. They could make us battle or jump through flaming hoops for all I know! So we've got to stay sharp!"

"You're fired up, aren'tya Pearl?" Sapphire asked, as she peered nervously towards the audience forming around them.

"You kidding? OF COURSE I am!" The blonde tightened his fists and gave her a determined look. This gave Sapphire no choice as she stepped up onto the heart-shaped platform with the booth's host beside them.

"Before I start, I'll be asking if anyone **dares **to challenge this young couple right here! Anyone?"

And with that, a couple of pairs walked up to the succeeding platforms, each with different colors. Sapphire and Pearl stood on the white and blue themed platform, while a red and silver one was left unclaimed.

"We've got one last slot to fill, so hurry on up here!"

"We shall join!" A certain white-capped boy proclaimed, leading his lovely partner onto the platform with gentlemanly grace and poise. (As he would his pokemon for contests, that is)

Platina and Ruby bowed as they stood on the platform, receiving a couple of "Ooh"s and "Ahh"s from the audience. They showed confidence and sold themselves as if they just entered a Hyper-ranked Pokemon Contest. The crowd went on and on about the challengers, saying stuff like:

"Isn't that the heiress of the Berlitz family fortune?"

"I know that boy! He won all the contests here in Hoenn! Man, they look good together!"

"Kyaaaa! Isn't he GORGEOUS? But, I wouldn't stand a chance against Ms. **Berlitz**! Who would?"

Diamond had a sad puppy-dog face as he watched from afar, lodging some octopus balls down his throat. "Aw they wouldn't **really** hook-up, now would they, Lax?" The sluggish pokemon simply burped in response, and went back to eating.

Sapphire and Pearl dropped their jaws as they eyed their new challengers in a total loss of words. They both caught the attention of Ruby as he observed them from the corner of his eyes. The sight of a crestfallen Sapphire made his smirk curve even higher. _You brought this upon yourself, Sapph. This is what you get for kissing that good for nothing-_

"Ruby, do you have any idea what they will ask of us to do?" Platina interrupted, looking around for hints on obstacle courses or battle arenas.

"Well, as of now I have no idea…" He smiled and rubbed the back of his neck.

Sapphire stomped her feet in rage. "What the heck are THEY doin' here? This wasn't supposed to happen, Pearl!"

"Calm down! At least **battle**-wise, we have a pretty good chance of dominating…" He thought hard about a strategy. Sapphire sighed. _It wouldn't matter if it concerns pokemon battles; seeing as they're both pretty much awesome at that too…_

The contest judge changed into a pink leotard complete with a Clefairy-eared headband, red pumps and black fishnet stockings.

"ALRIIIIIGHT! Are you all ready to witness the love feud of a lifetime? This is, **Fling or Fate!**"

Sapphire rolled her eyes and gripped Pearl's arm tight as the crowd screamed their lungs out. "WHY is it such a big contest all of a sudden? I didn't know it would turn out like _this_!"

Pearl sighed and shook his head. "No regrets! And if by some MIRACLE Ruby and Missy win this… We'll **still** get that vacation! So it's a win-win situation"

The caramel-head groaned. _That stupid prize isn't even worth it anymore!_ "I will NOT lose to the likes of Ruby, do ya hear me loud and clear Pearl?" She held onto his collar with all her strength. He struggled to utter some words but he finally got to reply with: "O-ok, I hate losing too… WILL YA LET GO?"

Diamond saw his two friends bickering from afar, this made him chuckle. _I can tell Pearl got in for the prize or the mere __**challenge**__ of it, but they __**do**__ seem like a nice couple._ "What do you think, Lax? Does Pearl look good with Sapphire?" The Munchlax looked at their direction, before burping once again.

"Ok, for the first challenge… You'll be given super SUMO sized ramen bowls to completely finish! There's a condition though… Only ONE will get to actually **eat** the ramen, while the other one of the pair will be using chopsticks to feed him/her!"

Pearl sighed and regretted not having Diamond as his partner. (Though that would stir up quite a controversy, I must say) Sapphire licked her lips as they laid out tables and placed a bowl of ramen in front of her. "Y'know suddenly this stupid contest ain't half bad!"

Diamond watched from afar, holding his stomach in jealousy. "Aw Lax, we should've joined!"

Ruby, after seeing the size of the ramen bowl, held a hand up to his mouth in an attempt to resist puking. Platina docked her head to the side, unable to think of a way to get passed this challenge. "Ruby, I do not posses enough gusto to finish such a dish. How about you?"

The crimson-eyed boy gulped, and then closed his eyes for a moment to think. "I've got a plan, listen closely…"

"ALRIGHT PEARL! Just shove as much food up my mouth as fast as you can and leave the rest to me!" The cerulean-eyed girl beat her chest and placed her arms on her back, as ordered by the marshals.

The blonde sighed, but grinned at the ever-eager girl beside him right after. "Well, if you say so. Just no **choking** around, ok? HAHA!"

Sapphire laughed along with him, until the siren screeched, initiating the start of the contest. Simultaneously, *clicks* could be heard from the partners breaking a pair of chopsticks in half, ready to feed their ever-eager allies some tasty ramen.

All of the entrants had the boy doing the eating, save for one.

"Keep *omnom* it *nom* coming! *sluuuurp!*" The not-so-feminine girl demanded, finishing up a slither of noodles with a slurp of the mouth.

"Yeah yeah, shush it and keep chewing!" While the other couples were busy minding how close they were to each other, blushing and flirting along the way, Pearl and Sapphire's eyes burned with fury as they thought this was just another hurdle towards the goal.

The spectators were in awe at how fast she chewed and swallowed the ramen. All eyes were on Pearl and Sapphire… which was just what Ruby had anticipated.

"While they're distracted, the plan can be initiated" he whispered to the lady.

"Let me see if I've got this right. Your Ruru has the ability to make the space around it become distorted, creating mirages of nonexistent scenery. So, while your Kirlia's making illusions of the ramen being there, you'll release your tiny Popo, whom has a phenomenal appetite, to eat the ramen. Is that all?"

Ruby nodded and secretly pressed a pokeball, releasing his beloved Kirlia. The marshals and audience were still staring at Sapphire, who seemed to make quite a spectacle of herself.

The strategy went as planned, and Ruby's bowl was completely empty after three minutes. But they were still beaten by Sapphire, who ate hers in less than two!

"That was some GOOD ramen!" The caramel-head happily concluded, patting her not-so-flat belly in satisfaction.

Pearl was panting. "Man Sapphire, you've got the appetite of Diamond… Worse even! Nonetheless, you still bagged us 10 points!" Pearl wrapped an arm around Sapphire and rustled her hair. Ruby saw this and tightened his fists in anger.

"We will **definitely** win the next one, I swear."

* * *

_A/N: Ohohoho! I'm having so much fun writing this._

_Please review,_

_**and if you have suggestions for contest  
challenges, please include that in your  
review as well. Thanks for reading!**  
_


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: I apologize for lacking in quality these passed chapters, I just wanted the story to lean towards a lighter plot for the mean time. A little hint for you all: The longer I build up the tension, the better all the fluff will seem towards the end, right? Heh!_

_**P.S. **__I included a bit of __**Gracefulshipping**_ in the mix!

* * *

Diamond licked his fingers after finishing off a box of popcorn, checked his Pokegear, and sighed. "It's 9:44 PM…" He stifled exhausted yawn as he leaned on the trunk of a nearby tree. "Well passed my bed time, huh Lax? I wonder how long they're planning on doing this" The Munchlax nodded in reply, and sat sluggishly beside his master.

At the challenge, the audience began to get fired up, witnessing the tension between team Pearl/Sapphire and team Ruby/Platina. The duos awaited the announcement of the next challenge.

Pearl gave Platina a friendly wave, and she in turn, gave him a cheerful nod. Sapphire eyed her competitors with a fanged grin on her face, surveying each and every…!

"Coach! Coach, is that really you?" She cried out towards the challenger.

And yes it was indeed so, as Winona widened her eyes and eagerly waved back at her accomplished apprentice. "Sapphire, what a pleasant surprise!" She focused on the duo, until her confusion was struck at the absence of a certain crimson-eyed boy. "Where's Ruby?"

"Take a good look around!"

The gym leader and her partner started surveying the area, until a white hat caught their attention.

"Is it just me, or is that Ruby right there? I guess Sapphire wasn't really his type..." Winona's partner chirped.

"I guess so, Wallace… And I thought they were doing splendidly, last time I checked" She sighed.

"Oh mix-ups **do** happen from time to time, that doesn't mean anything!" The tall and handsomely-clad gentleman smirked and placed an arm around her. She pouted and blushed. "Wallace! Not in front of the kids!"

"Who's that?" Pearl asked, trying to get a better view. "Oh, that's just my coach. She's a gym leader here in Hoenn; and that guy beside her? That's her **fiance** Wallace. He's both a contest AND pokemon champ!" Pearl widened his stance in awe. "Man, their future babies have a _lot_ to shoulder!"

Ruby saw Sapphire wave, and was directed towards his master. _Master? Why would he join such a flimsy booth game such as this?_ He then directed his eyes onto Wallace's partner. _Ohhh, I see now. Looks like they're doing much better than where they left off; good for him!_

"That blonde guy Sapphire's with… He seems to be as energetic as she is" Winona said, observing Pearl as he shot fists up in the air in enthusiasm. "And that young lady next to Ruby… How very refined and composed, just like him" Wallace added, facing opposite Winona as he observed the other duo.

They both sighed. Winona winced and cried out. "This doesn't seem right! We saw it blossom, didn't we Wallace? It's been five long years since then, and now they're teenagers!"

"It's time for the second challenge!" Winona blinked and clamped her mouth shut.

"Are you all ready? For this round, the pairs are placed onstage facing away from each other and are asked a series of basic couple questions. Teams are asked to write down their answers and if the answers match, points are given. Simple, right? WRONG!"

The four teenagers gulped. Sapphire frantically shook Pearl in panic. "What're we gonna do, PEARL! We just met each other yesterday, and I sure as heck don't know much about y-" Pearl fumed and screamed back at her. "CALM DOWN! Just answer whatever you feel like writing. This is just the second round anyway, there's nothing we can do but pray our answers match!"

Platina docked her head and looked at Ruby with serious eyes. "How will we get through this round?" Ruby smirked. "Do you still happen recall the answers you wrote in the interview of the July issue of **PokeContest Monthy**?" Platina nodded. "Then we've got no problem on winning" Ruby confidently concluded.

"Alright, may I ask the partners to face opposite directions." The challengers were given whiteboards and markers, and right after, a loud *BLEEP* was heard.

"For the first question, what was the **first movie** you both watched together?"

After 15 seconds, the *BLEEP* was sounded again. "Time's up, let's see your answers please!"

Sapphire and Pearl cringed, before holding up their boards with their faces looking down.

"Attack of the fifty-foot Wobbuffet? What a classic! 2 points to team Sapphire/Pearl!"

The blonde and caramel-head's eyes widened as they faced each other, surprised that they had written the same thing. "YOU like Attack of the fifty-foot Wobbuffet too, Sapphire!" The girl chuckled. "Yeah! One of the only movies I don't end up sleeping!"

The host checked a few more boards, disqualifying two teams whom had been discovered cheating. As she neared Ruby and Platina, she noticed how intensely calm they both were. "Nice to see this couple places a lot of trust on each other, and they should, because they both got the same answer "Cinderfeebas" correct!"

"Next question! Where have you both confessed your love for each other?"

That question struck the team's heartstrings. Sapphire gripped onto her marker tight as she prayed with every fiber of her being that Pearl thought of answering the same. _Although we never exactly confessed anything, it __**is**__ the place we had a nice little talk… _She eyed Ruby. _Man, if we were partnered up in this, NOW would be the perfect time to corner the little pest…_

Ruby eyed Pearl from a distance, and wrote down his best answer. Platina gulped and did the same, hating the fact that she was answering a trivia blindly.

*BLEEP* The teams raised their boards.

"Forest, near a lake" on Pearl's board, and "Big Lake, Forest" on Sapphires board. They were given 2 points, which made them leap out of their seats.

"Secret Base" was both on Ruby and Platina's board, which made them sigh in relief. "I must tell you Ruby, it isn't very enjoyable, answering a test meant for a different sort of understanding…" She blushed and tried looking back at him, but his head didn't budge.

"Well, it just goes to show you how almost _anyone_ can beat this stupid couples challenge, seeing as we got some points!" Ruby smirked while the lady sighed. _That's __**not**__ what I meant…_

The round continued, with five more questions. Ruby and Platina got all of them right, while Pearl and Sapphire struggled to even get a single point since the questions were very much detailed.

"Fourteen points on both sides, ladies and gentlemen! We have two remaining highest-pointer challengers here in this contest… Ruby and Ms. Berlitz, Pearl and Sapphire!"

Winona and Wallace stepped off from the stage in defeat. "Winona, how could you be so cold as to forget when our first date was?" The lady shook her head. "I got it mixed up with our first pokemon battle, sorry"

He sighed, but entangled his hands with hers'. "Well, I guess it's even since I don't know remember when _that_ happened" Winona chuckled as she stopped their pace and turned towards the stage. "Let's stay and watch though, this could get very interesting"

Sapphire winced and scratched her head. "Darn, sorry Pearl… I panicked with the _nicknames_ question" Pearl sighed, but patted her back anyway. "It's alright. Although, _hot stuff_ has got to be the **worst **pet name anyone could EVER think about!" Sapphire blushed and fumed.

"H-hey! I ain't any good with stupid things like that. How about you, Pearl? You answered _sweetheart_. Seems like you know yer stuff!" Pearl grunted and looked away. "It's just about the most common pet name in the entire world, HOT STUFF" The azure-eyed girl blushed, but managed to laugh hysterically along with Pearl. "Yer right! It **does** sound really dumb! What was I thinking, _sweetheart_!"

"I am quite relieved. You seem to have kept my answers in the interview to heart, Ruby" Platina blushed as she fiddled with her fingers. "Well what can I say, I'm a real **fan** of yours!" He smiled and helped her up from the seat.

Her face saddened when the word "fan" passed through her ears. Ruby realized this answer wasn't the most _encouraging_ in a couple's contest, so he decided to clear things up. "I meant, uhm… I really _admire_ you. You're quite a celebrity around here, believe it or not"

She blushed at the thought, but was supported by the fact that almost all the guys in the audience had their eyes fixed on her. "They can stare all they want, but in the end, **I'll **be the only guy here who knows which flavor of Poffin you love best... Am I right?" (If you don't get it; it's because he read her interview)

Platina stifled a giggle and was filled with fighting spirit. Ruby let out a relieved sigh. _Looks like I got her back in the game. Now, I wonder what the last challenge will be? In any case…_ He eyed Sapphire and Pearl sharing a laugh and gritted his teeth. _Looks like this contest is just the least of my problems…_

"I hope everyone's pumped! Here we have our last pair of challengers. Let's ask them some questions!" The host quickly ran towards Pearl and Sapphire, making Sapphire flinch in surprise. Pearl stood up and had a confident stance, eyeing the audience as if he were performing a _manzai_.

"You both seem like an energetic couple! Do you usually tackle contests and battles as a pair?"

Sapphire blushed and grabbed the microphone. "OF COURSE N-" Pearl immediately pulled her back with one arm and grabbed the mic from her grip with his free hand. "OF COURSE we do! All the time! Since we're a perfectly legit couple and everything, we usually jump at every chance we get for challenges… Isn't that right, _hot stuff?"_

Diamond was sipping his soda until he heard Pearl's comment and spat the drink out. "PFFFT… Did I just hear PEARL say that..?"

Sapphire reluctantly, but ultimately sighed and nodded in agreement. _Oh yeah, we're a __**couple**__._

Ruby had his mouth wide open. _Did he just… Sapphire… Hot stuff? _His train of thought was interrupted by Platina's giggling. "Pearl is _quite_ an actor, is he not?" The crimson-eyed boy sighed. _Yeah it's probably just acting._

"Say Pearl, what first drew you to Sapphire? Was it her smile? Her grace?"

Ruby hugged his stomach tight in constrained laughter. _Pffft… Grace? Yeah right! _

Pearl looked up and down, before finally deciding on saying: "Well uh, I guess it was her… Smile." He looked at her and nodded. "Yeah, it's definitely her smile. It's like a giant sign that says: _Hey world, I'm Sapphire… And I can kick your ass if I wanted to._ You know, that kind of smile?"

Sapphire chuckled tremendously, her cheeks becoming bright red right after. She was about to tell him how stupid that sounded, until the host asked her the same thing.

"Pearl? Well, I guess it would have to be…" She placed a hand on her chin and closed her eyes. _Think. Sapphire, THINK!_ A light bulb flashed on top of her head and she grabbed the mic with both hands and answered. "It's gotta be 'cos_ he _always makes me smile when I feel down! Yeah!"

The audience made a loud "AWW!" which made the duo even more shy with each passing second. Ruby simply rolled his eyes and prepared himself for his turn. Platina fidgeted with her skirt, seeing as _speaking her mind_ isn't exactly her best skill.

"How very touching! No wonder you both have gotten this far! Now, we'll ask the other couple, Ruby and Ms. Berlitz about their opinions on each other. Ruby, what first drew you to your girlfriend?"

"What **didn't** draw me in?" He said, seeming to be whole-hearted with every breath and gesture. "She's gorgeous, isn't she? And the way she brings herself? Absolutely graceful!"

Sapphire huffed a stray hair out of the way and crossed her arms. _Psh, that's the way you talk about COCO too, idiot._ Pearl saw Sapphire upset, which made him place his hand on her shoulder for an encouraging squeeze. She smiled in return.

"And you, Ms. Berlitz? As a well-known young heiress, what made you choose Ruby out of hundreds of guys?"

From afar, Diamond took a huge bite out of some licorice and chewed, staring intensely at the stage.

"Well, I suppose…" She paused, and continued. "He's very caring, deep inside. On the surface, he might seem a bit distant, but the warmth he has to share to those in need presents itself at the most perfect of times" She was satisfied with her answer and nodded.

Sapphire flinched a bit, feeling her heart throb with an unusual discomfort. Pearl sighed and looked out at the audience to see if Diamond was watching. _Let's hope he didn't hear that. _

Diamond busied himself with two corndogs, stuffing them in his mouth as he wiped some forming tears. _She just met him a day ago, she just met him a day ago, she just met him…_

"That sounds absolutely wonderful, Ms. Berlitz! But let's see if you'll still feel the same after this last challenge we have in store..."


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N: I SPRAINED MY ANKLE AND CAN'T STAND. (Moar time to write I guess) _

_I'm thrilled you all liked the previous chapter, I was so skeptical about the plot so I am quite relieved. And apologies for my grammar and other mistakes, I wrote it at around midnight so I was out of the zone. _

_I took a LOT of time to think about the third challenge, so I'll be gladly move on from here on out._

_

* * *

_

"For the last challenge, you'll be displaying your ability to come up with a powerful combination using your pokemon as a duo. This will not only test your compatibility, but also how powerful a pair you guys make! So, are you all ready?"

Sapphire and Pearl could hardly contain their enthusiasm as they jumped with fists high in the air. "A battle? I **totally** saw this one coming!" The blonde chirped. "And I thought it was going to be something stupid and mushy, boy was I wrong!" Sapphire delightfully added.

Platina was hyped-up as well, seeing as she hadn't battled in a while. She placed a hand on her chest in relief, but her sights were redirected towards the loud-mouthed Pearl, whom she suddenly realized, was going to be her opponent for the first time. _H-how will I be able to battle the person whom has taught me almost everything I know about battles? Will Empoleon be able to face his Chimhiko?_

Her steel-gray eyes darted towards the pokeball she had in her pocket, until she felt Ruby's hand tighten on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Ms. Berlitz" She docked her head. "But you are one of Pokemon Contests; not battles"

"Yes that is definitely true" He eyed Sapphire and Pearl with a stern look slapped across his face. "-But that doesn't mean I can't battle when needed"

Platina sighed, nodding her head after the statement. "Well, I suppose you've proven yourself to be quite reliable. I'm utterly impressed how calm you've stayed all throughout this contest, Ruby"

"Well it helps when your partner isn't gnawing your arm off in an attempt to escape" He shrugged and chuckled sheepishly.

"ALRIGHT SAPPHIRE! What have we got?" Pearl, with a wide grin, released Chimhiko from his pokeball; with a red flash of light, the ever eager fire-monkey somersaulted midair, causing the audience to gasp in awe. "I didn't get the chance to get you both acquainted so..."

Without hesitation, Sapphire grabbed a pokeball from her bag and chucked it next to Chimhiko. "Ya kidding me? With a fire-starter like that, there ain't no need for introductions!" A similar red flash shimmered from Sapphire's pokeball, as her graceful Toro stretched itself beside Pearl's pokemon.

As Toro's shimmering blonde locks fell along her back, Infernape's heart beat increased tenfold. It couldn't move an inch as It crouched in its usual ape-like stance, a position Toro thought to be delightfully interesting. "_I find our situation to be one wherein our teamwork is dutifully needed. So, nice to meet you, I'm Toro!"_

Infernape flinched at the sudden introduction, but mustered up enough courage to give her a nod. "_I-I'm Chimhiko... N-nice to meet y-you too." _Chimhiko darted his eyes in all directions, realizing how unusual he seemed just then.

The friendly encounter made Sapphire's mouth curve into a grin. "Looks like our pokemon are getting well acquainted with each other! Must be easy since they're both fire... types... HOLD IT, PEARL!"

The blonde was in the middle of devising a strategy until he felt forceful tug on his sleeve. "What is it **now** Sapphire? Can't you see I'm in the middle of-"

"You might not have met him, but Ruby's Swampert is a water-type; Missy ain't half-bad either with her Empoleon... Moreover, we're both using fire-types! The odds are completely against u-"

"What kind of trainer do you think I am, Sapphire? While the types are obviously not in our favor, with a good plan in mind, we just might work around this..." The blonde started whispering the plan to Sapphire, much to their opponent's dismay.

"Ruby, I should stress that Pearl has the ability to read a pokemon's intentions before carrying out a move. That will work against our advantage."

The crimson-eyed boy smirked in response, fixing his specs meticulously on the bridge of his nose. "If they're planning on using those two, (pointing out to Toro and Chimhiko) then the cat's out of the bag!"

"What do you imply with that idiom?"

"We've got a type-advantage. I understand how all four of us have a good grasp on battles, but type advantage plays a huge role in these barbaric skirmishes"

"I'm curious Ruby, you don't seem like the type to favor battles for whatever reason"

The boy shrugged. "Yeah, got me there" The lady placed a delicate hand on her chin as she looked up at him. "So why is it you look like you are fully aware of what we're getting ourselves into?"

If Ruby's good at anything, it's brushing things off. "Battles are just like contests, Ms. Berlitz. You've got opponents, you've got pokemon and all you have to do is command them. Easy as one, two, three!"

The duo got their pokeballs out and, with flashes of bright blue, Swampert and Empleon were released.

Zuzu stared blankly as Empoleon fed a regal aura. it's wide mouth hanging in awe. "_Wow, you're pretty shiny, Miss."_

The penguin-pokemon raised a brow and sighed. "_It's Empoleon, and you're not so bad yourself... Uhm, excuse me but your name seems to escape me..."_ The Swampert Jumped up. "_I'm Zuzu! I specialize in the TOUGH category for contests, so you have nothing to worry about!" _

The female water-pokemon rolled her eyes and straightened her stance. "_You should be well aware of the fact that contests are __**completely**__ different from battles"_ Empoleon started remembering her _unfavorable_ encounters back in her first contest, with the sabotaging and everything. "_Battling is entirely my forte, so I am pleased that is this chosen arena. " _The Swampert shrugged and let out a yawn, lifting its tail to reveal a line of contest ribbons, much to Empoleon's surprise. "_Well whatever the reason, I'll be quick to obey every command Ruby has to dish out!"_

Meanwhile, Blazeiken on the other side of the field noticed her good friend's presence from afar. "_Oh, Zuzu! Over here!"_ She waved her eagle-like claws gracefully at her friend. "_Oh, Toro! Why're you with __**that **__guy?"_ Chimhiko fumed, but Toro immediately blocked his path with her claw to calm him. "_Apparently we are to battle eachother!" _Zuzu scratched his head with his enourmous blue flipper-hand and sighed. "_Is it any different from when both our masters bicker? I guess this is the final score" _Toro chuckled. "_Oh but __**their**__ battles are much more interesting than a battle between their pokemon!"_

As Ruby was about to narrate a battle plan to his partner, the bell rung. "That's enough time for preparations, ladies and gentlemen! The rules are simple. Whomever knocks out one of either of the two pokemon on the opponent's team, wins!"

The crowd let out a thunderous applause, as the spotlight suddenly shined on the trainers and their pokemon, whom had their stances ready at the open arena.

"Oh yes and, there'll be twists as the battle commences, so watch out for certain conditions we ask of you during the fight! Let it begin!" And with a loud _SCREECH! _ From the festival sirens, the battle began.

Pearl and Sapphire gave each other a nod, as the blonde opened his mouth wide to give out commands. "Toro, use fire spin around them; Chimhiko, run amongst the circling flames and give them a taste of your fatal Blaze Kicks!"

The two fire-types did as they were told, executing the deadly fire moves with precise speed. The two water-types, who seemingly had a disadvantage with speed out-of-water, were trapped in a vortex of flames. Infernape was able to plant a Blaze kick on Zuzu, causing it to flinch in pain.

"Empoleon! Disperse the flames with Hydro Pump! Zuzu, use Mud Sport!"

"Ruby found out how to stop Toro and Chimhiko from running around, it'll be too slippery! We need to think of a counter, or they'll start attacking with water-based moves!" The caramel-head cried out, gripping onto Pearl's shoulder tight.

Zuzu did as he was told in a split-second, sprouting muddy water from his mouth like a fountain. Empoleon used this opportunity, seeing as Chimhiko slowed his pace and Toro was visible from afar, and blasted a hydro-pump straight towards the unsuspecting bird-pokemon.

Blocked by the muddy drops from the Swampert's mouth, Empoleon was able to hit the unsuspecing Toro where it hurt, causing her to tumble backwards. The crowed gasped as it seemed like the battle was over.

Sapphire tightened her fists but remained silent, trusting her beloved Toro to get up on and soldier on. Chimhiko immediately retaliated and ran to her rescue, his ears blocking all commands bestowed to him by his trainer.

"_W-why are you here, Chimhiko? Finish them off while you c-"_ The Infernape smirked, then inhaled deeply. Before Zuzu or Empoleon could get near him, Flame-thrower escaped from Chimhiko's mouth, directing it towards his injured partner.

Toro's frail stance suddenly reverted back to its strong one, its limbs seemingly put aflame, much to the fire-type's delight. "_I feel the burn! And it feels so refreshingly good"_ The Infernape closed its firey-mouth shut, and raised his hand in a thumbs-up. "_What can I say? I'm pretty __**HOT**__!"_

Empoleon popped a vein as she sped towards them, eager to engage in battle. _"We're in a fight Chimhiko, in case you haven't noticed!"_ Chimhiko jumped up and avoided the attack. "_I don't usually say this, but CHILL Empolly!"_

As Zuzu and Toro locked together in battle, so did Empoleon and Chimhiko. The trainers kept giving out commands, except from Ruby. "Oh his precious skin's starting to brittle from the heat; and I had SUCH a hard time trying to exfoliate it too!"

After intense hand-to-hand combat, the four pokemon, along with their trainers were worn out. No one seemd to give-in, and they all were simply tired of fighting the other party, seeing as they were actually friends. "This... Has been... One of the most grueling fights I have ever come across..." The lady said, wiping her sweat with a delicately-laced handerchief.

"You said it..." Ruby added, fixing the wrinkles on his shirt.

The pokemon were all slumped on the floor, seemingly close to fainting. Toro was on Zuzu, while Zuzu layed beside the exhausted Empoleon, while she leaned onto Chimhiko's back.

*DING DING DING*

"Well, I guess we have a tie here!" The audience cheered for a magnificent battle, before dispersing slowly, leaving the area quite empty save for Diamond.

"W-what? It's over?" The azure-eyed girl screamed, running towards the host. Pearl followed behind her, waving his arms frantically. "Look, we fought our butts off for the prize, and you can't just declare a tie on us now!"

Ruby overheard the blonde as he walked towards them as well. _Ok, so now I can __**confirm**__ he joined this for the prize. Good to know..._

"What is it that will happen now? Who will receive the "free" tickets to this beach of which I have not heard of?" Platina questioned, raising a brow.

The host chuckled and flashed the five tickets in their faces. "Luvdisc beach is EXCLUSIVELY for pokemon. The prize was meant for the winner's **pokemon**. Didn't you read the fine print in the flier? Sheesh!"

The four teenager's jaws hit the ground, their pokemon chuckling and running towards them after, seeming to forget the battle that had just taken place. The host handed the pokemon each a ticket, and kept one for herself. "I'll be getting the last one, seeing as they need a tour guide!"

The team sighed and called their ever-so-happy pokemon back into their respective balls. "Honestly, what a total rip off" The disappointed Pearl concluded. Sapphire felt the same. "All that competing and worrying for absolutely nothing!" She added.

Ruby chuckled. _You're positively right, Sapph._

Diamond ran towards the group, his face smothered in all kinds of sauces. "Hey guys! I wasn't able to stick around long enough to see who won-"

"FORGET ABOUT IT" the four of them screamed in unison.

* * *

_I'm sorry if you guys expected a more epic challenge, it's just that I wanted to portray how their prized-pokemon's personalities stood out and how fun it would be having them interact. I didn't want it to be TOO intense as well, seeing as it isn't exactly a life-or-death contest or anything. _

_Look at it this way, at least you understand how compatible the unseemingly incompatible are now, right? Hope you guys keep reading! Oh, and please review!_


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N: Ok, so still stuck in bed. Stupid ankle. But I guess you guys get an update 'coz of this! _

_

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_

It was mid afternoon, the gang thought it best to go separate ways for the day. Dark clouds flooded the sky, blotching out any ray of sunshine that attempted to lighten the area. Despite the looming storm, Platina decided to shop with Pearl around Hoenn, seeing as the blonde needed to buy his dad some promised souvenirs.

Diamond, Sapphire and Ruby stayed behind in the secret base.

"I can't believe Zuzu would rather go to the beach than participate in a Triple-Hyper Rank contest with me!"

"Do ya even hear yourself? OF 'COZ Zuzu would rather party than appeal in a dumb contest! I wish I went with them; I'd rather be there where its sunny than to face gray clouds…"

Diamond whistled as he merrily mixed a new batch of poffins in his portable mini-mixer. Coco, Nana, and Popo immediately gathered 'round the boy, watching him mix the tantalizing treat with great interest.

"Wow Dia, all the pokemon warm up to you in a matter of seconds!" Sapphire chirped, eyeing the adorable huddle Ruby's pokemon formed around Diamond.

"Aw it isn't me… It's the poffins!"

"No, I'm pretty sure it's you!" Sapphire immediately concluded as her cheeks flushed, docking her  
head as she observed Coco sway as Diamond whistled a merry tune.

Ruby huffed. "All it takes is a pleasant smell to attract any sort of living thing; but you probably aren't aware of that."

"I don't wanna HEAR it sissy-boy." She gritted her teeth, but remained where she sat. She wouldn't want to strangle him in front of Diamond now would she?

He flinched, expecting to be attacked at any moment; but instead was faced with the sight of Sapphire laying beside Diamond, gazing at his expert hand as it gracefully swirled the concoction in the mixer. He was taken aback by how the caramel-head reacted, but had no choice than to brush it off.

"You're really good at this Diamond! Ya think I can taste a poffin or two?"

"Sure, which flavor would you prefer?"

"Uhhmmm… I do love **sour** ones…"

"Great choice! It raises _toughness_ y'know, though I think it'll be ineffective with you. You're plenty tough!"

"Ahaha**HA**, if it's raising _traits_, you'll need a handful of **dry** poffins then!" Ruby sarcastically replied, knitting away a new sweater for Zuzu. Sapphire raised a brow and nudged her lazy-eyed friend.

"Dry? Why, what's with dry?"

Diamond blinked and smiled as discreetly as he could. "Oh, n-nothing important, really!" _Seriously Ruby.  
Raise her __**beauty**__, is that what you mean? You certainly know how to be __**bitter**__._

"Aaand… All done! Here's a batch of sour poffins, just for you, Ms. Sapphire" Diamond playfully declared, role-playing a waiter as he placed a plate full of bright-yellow pastries in front of the hungry girl.

"Thanks for the food!" Sapphire happily exclaimed, eagerly stuffing them into her mouth. "This is *nom* REALLY good, Dia… *gulp* I wish I was one of your pokemon… That means I'd be able to eat like this all the time!"

The chef let out a laugh before getting up to fix his cooking utensils. "Don't be silly, Sapphire. You're always welcome to try my dishes out; I love seeing delighted faces when pokemon AND people eat my food!" Diamond suddenly remembered Platina's relieved face back when he cooked pie for her and blushed.

Ruby saw the lazy-eyed boy's face redden and raised a brow. _Is it just me or did I just see him blush at her comments? _He decided to switch the topic quick. "So I assume you enter contests then, Diamond; you have a good grasp of poffin-making fit for a contest expert"

"Y-you flatter me, I uh… This is to help Missy, that's all" the boy sheepishly replied, rubbing the back of his neck. Before long, he noticed Nana and Coco nudging him in the arm gently. He was delighted to see that they had decided to help him clean up, with his cooking utensils securely clasped in their mouths. Ruby cringed slightly at the sight, but remained seated as he sewed the rest of the sweater.

"Coco, Nana… Practice your new dance moves in the other room would you?"

The both of them sighed as they obediently did as they were told, sad to leave their new human-friend behind.

Sapphire licked her gloveless hands and patted her tummy in satisfaction. "I wish we met ya a looong time ago Diamond; you're really something!"

Ruby mumbled something under his breath as he snipped the last bit of string to finish his work.

* * *

In the Littleroot Shopping Mall, Platina and Pearl walked along the pathway a bunch of little boutiques lined-up at. Pearl had his arms stuffed in his sports jacket, as he casually made his way through the area with his trusted companion by his side.

"Pearl, what might Mr. Volkner want? Do you have any idea?"

"Of course I do! Did you expect me to blindly walk into a shopping mall without any idea what to shop for? Come on!"

The lady sighed. "It actually takes out the _fun_ in shopping if you put it that way"

"Well, boo-hoo. If you wanted to _shop_, you should've asked Sapphire to join you"

"I doubt she would be interested in… Err… The same activities I enjoy doing."

"Now that you mention it, she **is **a lot different from other girls…"

A minute of silence passed through them, before a smirk formed on the lips of the lady.

"I don't suppose… Sapphire has ignited a spark deep in your heart?"

"W-WHAT! What gave you that crazy idea?"

"Well, you _have _shared a **number **of moments alone with her… Have you not?"

"Uh… Yeah, I guess…"

"And you joined a_ couple's contest_; without question… Did you not?"

"W-we had our reasons!"

"Apparently so, but you weren't fazed at all when the public thought you were a genuine couple…Am I correct?"

"I guess I didn't care much about that…"

"AND you say her smile is striking and furthermore-"

"ALRIGHT ALREADY! I get it!" Pearl fumed, redirecting some random shopper's attention towards him with the volume of his voice. Platina could hardly contain herself as she squealed gently at the sudden confession. "Would this mean I have been proven right?"

The blonde noticed people looking at him and sighed. He saw a bench near them and slumped over to it, covering his disgruntled orange eyes with a palm.  
"I guess you could say I kind of… Like her. Or something" His cheeks were beginning to redden as those words passed through his lips.

The lady wouldn't stop smiling; she sat beside him and gently patted his back. "Are you planning on telling her anytime soon?"

"I uh… Don't think I should. She has Ruby and everything-"

Platina's eyes widened as his name passed through her ears. "Ruby… Would you think that they have a mutual understanding of some sort?"

"Well, with what I've seen so far, they go together like Groudon and Kyogre"(*See the pun there?)

"In other words…"

"I don't think so. She does seem to care but, maybe it's because they don't have anyone else to hang around with"

"That's a possible deduction…"

"And why are YOU so affected, Missy? Is it possible our little princess is all grown-up and got herself a little crush on Ruby?"

The lady suddenly flinched and had sweat trickling down her petite face. "I uh, have no idea what you are implying with that accusation!"

Pearl smirked and thought it was the _perfect_ chance to exploit the situation and turn it against his friend. "Well, Sapphire and I aren't the_ only_ ones to share a moment alone"

The lady coughed and stood up, walking a few steps away from a very satisfied Pearl. "Now is **not **the time to be gossiping and talking about such ridiculous topics; come, we must do what we were poised to do in the first place" She scurried away, leaving Pearl in the bench.

_Why did I suddenly want to brush Ruby aside in our conversation?_ She stopped. _Could it be that… I __**do **__have feelings for him?  
_

Her trail of thought stopped as a hand smacked itself on her bare shoulder. "I hear ya Missy, let's keep going" He flashed her a smile, relaxing Platina as they continued their little shopping trip._ I hear ya loud and clear. I won't tell a soul; Diamond's, in particular. That little guy wouldn't be able to handle it just yet. Now… Do I really feel that way about Sapphire?_ He mentally shrugged it off. _I guess it's too soon to assume anything at this point. Sapphire…_

* * *

It started thundering, the crackle of the sky echoing throughout the secret base like a stereo. "I hope Missy and Pearl aren't far from here, I think a storm's headed this way." His ears twitched as the pitter-patter from the drops of rain made it through his ears, once or twice, then in a flurry; as it started to rain heavily outside the base.

After some more thunderous sounds, a couple of footsteps can be heard entering the cave. "Must be them." Ruby said, fixing his specs as he brushed Coco's fur habitually, the cat-like pokemon cooing in delight.

Sapphire snored slightly, bothered by the sudden thunder. Her slender, athletic frame lay comfortably on a Snorlax-designed beanbag, embracing the also snoozing Lax, near her chest.

"We made it just before it started pouring! Aah!" A familiar voice cried out in relief. He was panting, pulling the lime-green scarf off his slender neck as his companion followed him from behind.

"Looks like we won't be able to go to Littleroot's Forever Twenty-four branch After all… The weather turned out for the worst" The lady sighed, placing a dozen-or-so shopping bags down on the carpeted floor.

"Did guys enjoy though, Missy?" Diamond asked, relieved his pampered princess isn't soaked at all. "Oh, quite. I bought a drink we can all enjoy as well, here you go Diamond. Please serve this-" The lady scrimmaged through a couple of bags before finally spotting the glass bottle. She hurriedly brought it over to Diamond, her innocent eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Uh-uhm… Missy…" The boy stuttered, getting a good look at the beverage he held in his hand. "This isn't just _any_ other drink…"

"Let me see that- …MISSY! Why on EARTH would you buy a bottle of VODKA?" The blonde screamed, grabbing the bottle from his droopy-eyed friend who was still in a state of confusion.

"V-vodka? The gentleman at the store told me it was a bottle of the freshest water the world has ever produced… I should've asked you first Pearl…" Platina sighed, plopping down onto a chair near Ruby, quite embarrassed by the mishap. "I find myself easily mislead…"

"Vodka..?" Sapphire woke up, stretched her arms and walked towards Pearl. "Papa told me I couldn't drink just _yet_, but…" She grabbed the bottle right from Pearl's clutches. "He'll never know, right? And I'm SIXTEEN now! I've always wanted to know what the stuff that makes people crazy, tastes like" She licked her lips and attempted to pry the bottle cap open with her fangs, much to Ruby's dismay. He immediately shot up from his seat and snatched the bottle from her tight grip.

"Are you **crazy**? I will NOT have a bunch of alcohol-savvy drunkards in our secret base. Do you read me loud and clear Sapph?" Ruby furrowed his brows and held the bottle as if it were a used diaper. He _hated_ alcohol. He hated the smell, the taste, how it made people all freaky, he also HATED how he becomes when drunk; but that's a different story.

A whole _different_ story.

"Gee MOM, stop being a kill joy! I didn't want to **chug **the thing down, sheesh! I just, wanted… a taste" She steadied her hand near Ruby, before being pushed down by the force of Pearl's palm on her head. "Come now, we can think of better uses with that bottle, can't we Diamond?" Sapphire shook her head violently and grumbled.

"Y-yeah! We sure can!" Diamond retaliated instantly; jumping up to assist Pearl. He held up a pointed hand and in a matter-of-factly way, suggested an idea. "The rain's pouring and the thunder's roaring… We can't go out and we're all stuck in here!"

"What do you suggest we do, Diamond?" Pearl said, kind of sounding like a corny party host.

Actually, sounding a LOT like a corny party host.

"Why, with a bottle and good cheer… We can play a game!"

Platina and Sapphire eyed the duo, their all-over attention captured expertly by Pearl and Diamond. Ruby raised a brow and had his jaw hanging down loose as he stared at the weirdoes in front of him.

_What in god's name do they think they're doing? Either their trying to subconsciously divert two innocent girls' attention from drinking alcohol to something else or… Trying to get them to play a drinking game…._

He fixed his specs, eyed the comedians and then decided._ It's definitely the FIRST guess._ He sighed and handed Pearl the bottle. "I'm interested… What do you gentlemen plan for tonight? It better NOT be a four-hour comedy act. **Humor me**, with something new" The crimson-eyed boy rolled his eyes and removed his glasses, obviously bored.

Pearl's vein popped as he irritably forced a smile from his mouth. "W-well, R-ruby…" He clenched his fists and looked down. "How's about I crack your head open with this bottle of-"

"TRUTH OR DARE!" Diamond anxiously shouted-out, laughing nervously after. "We'll play truth or dare!"

"Truth or dare? Is that a famous board game of some sort?" The lady inquired, intrigued by the new innovation presented to her. Sapphire chuckled. "No, Missy! It's a game wherein you spin a bottle 'round in the middle of a circle of friends. When the bottle stops, it'll be pointing at someone in the circle; and that certain someone has to pick either truth or DARE!"

As Sapphire said the word _DARE_, a thunderous crackle filled the gang's ears. This not only ignited flames in Platina's ever-curious eyes, but also made Ruby's heart skip a beat. _I HATE truth or dare!_

"Sounds absolutely exhilarating. I suggest we start immediately!" The lady grabbed a pillow and placed herself in an open area. She patted the space beside her and looked at the rest of her friends. "You shan't keep a lady waiting, hop to it now!"

Diamond chuckled as he followed his suddenly bubbly friend. Pearl sighed and sat beside Diamond, who decided to sit beside Platina. Sapphire leaped beside Pearl, which left Ruby with no other choice but to sit between her and Platina.

"What're you waiting for Pearl, place the bottle in the middle already!" Sapphire chirped, swaying back and forth impatiently.

"Missy-" Diamond decided to continue explaining the mechanics. "You pick either truth or dare,see. If truth, the person before you will ask you a question you'll have to answer with the truth-"

Ruby overheard, and continued the conversation"-and if you pick **dare**, the person before you will ask you to do something embarrassing that you can't refuse to. See Ms. Berlitz, isn't this such a _barbaric_ ritual?"

"I shall never know until we try… May I give it the first spin?"

The group nodded, making the lady thrust the bottle into a whirling rotation. The group eyed the bottle carefully, as it slowed it's spinning ever so slightly…

It whirled slower, and slower…

Pearl.

Sapphire.

Ruby.

Platina.

Diamond.

Pearl.

Sapph…ire…

Ru…by…

Pla…tina…

Dia…mond…

Pea….

…

..

..

* * *

_A/N: And that's a wrap! Sorry to leave you hanging._

_Starting now, it'll get very __**very**__ interesting. _

_Don't forget to grace me with some reviews!_


	17. Chapter 17

It spun round and round a few more times, until ultimately stopping towards...

"Uh, me? I guess uh... Dare." Diamond fumbled, pointing his stubby fingers at himself.

"Oooh, Missy you get to dare or ask Diamond something! Watcha waitin' for? Go on!" The caramel-head elbowed the lady teasingly, as she furrowed her brows in thought.

"Hmm, I've thought of an enjoyable dare suddenly. Are you ready Dia? Tee-hee!"

The lazy-eyed boy gulped and looked down, distraught. _Please go easy on me missy!_

"Your dare is to stand on one foot and hop like a Buneary! Oh, and with one eye closed as well"

Pearl, Sapphire and Ruby slapped their foreheads in response, Platina stayed unaware as she happily watched Diamond stand up to do the deed.

"If you say so Missy!" Diamond chirped, hopping around the group, perfectly imitating the bounce of the bunny-pokemon.

Diamond's little dare made both Sapphire and Platina giggle with delight, made Pearl visualize a possible double act, and made Ruby even more exasperated. _If it's making a fool out of yourself, these boys __**don't**__ kid around. _

"Missy! What kind of a dare was that-"

"No, Sapphire. Let's just let Missy get a first-hand look at how REAL truth or dare is played" Pearl interrupted the girl, tightening his fist in the air in emphasis.

After Diamond plopped himself back onto his spot, he spun the bottle around.

The gang watched the spinning object anxiously. Ruby was crossing his fingers. _Please not me; please not me..._

"RUBY!"

The crimson-eyed boy sighed. _Thank YOU lady luck. _He shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Truth."

"KSHHH!" The thunder outside the base crackled as Ruby's sentence ended, making the gang (more so, Ruby) jump in shock.

"Well, I uh-"

Before Diamond could get anything through his lips, Pearl grabbed his scarf and whispered something into his ear; much to Ruby's dismay.

A few mumbles later, Diamond nodded obediently at the blonde, earning him a smile from Pearl and a death glare from Ruby. Diamond took a deep breath before saying...

"Explain what you and Missy did at the love ride a day ago."

Ruby heaved a sigh and scratched the back of his neck. "Is that it?" He took a deep breath, before opening his mouth wide and started talking.

"Well, we were passing through the disgustingly grotesque décor, when all of a sudden this one display had paint dripping from it. My polo was new and everything, so I dodged it; but as I jumped away, my hat got caught somewhere. And uh, Missy saw my hairstyle for the first time and... _Remembered _something."

"REMEMBERED WHAT?" Sapphire shrieked, tightening her grip on a throw pillow. Diamond and Pearl nodded, listening intently at the boy. Platina wondered why everyone was so intrigued, but let Ruby continue.

" Well, back when we were kids we both attended this party. In that party, she spilled some food all over her beautiful dress and I felt sorry for Ms. Berlitz so I cleaned her up. Realizing I was that boy years ago, she pounced on me or something and SNAP! The camera shot us"

Platina blinked and looked down, upset about the way he interpreted one of her most fondest of childhood memories. _Beautiful... Dress? He was my knight in sh-shining armor, wasn't he?_

Sapphire looked away as she pouted, secretly relieved that was all there is to it. Pearl and Diamond blinked at each other, then at their third companion.

"I would've never assumed you met the guy way back, Missy!" Pearl conceded, rubbing his chin with his hand.

"Neither would I" She replied rather icily. Diamond and Pearl noticed the sudden change her usual tone, but chose to shrug it off.

"Alright, I get to spin. No one better interfere with my-"

"Just get it over with!" Pearl urged, narrowing his eyes on the bottle.

Ruby, for the nth time, rolled his eyes and with a flick of his wrist, spun the bottle.

It went round and round, slowly decreasing in speed as it spun even more.

It slowed, finally stopping at...

Sapphire.

Her blue orbs shrunk as Ruby's red eyes that directed themselves at her. She stuffed her face into the throw pillow she was embracing and mumbled. "Truff"

"Truth? Darn; and I was going to _dare_ you to wear something I recently finished sewing..." He closed his eyes and began thinking.

"Wait, did he just say he _sews_?" Pearl inquired, Diamond eyed the scarf Nana was wearing and nodded. "Apparently. And he's not too bad with it either"

Platina's eyes sparkled as she heard this, blocking out the negative thoughts that were slowly forming in her head a moment ago. _Just as expected from Ruby; A fashionable fighter indeed!_ A smile formed on her lips.

"Oh! I thought of something. Alright, when you were with Pearl at that place in the forest a while back, you wished for something. What was it you wished for, exactly?"

Sapphire's face turned the color of Ruby's eyes. Steam seemed to seep from her ears as she closed her eyes and snorted. "Hah! W-what a dumb question!"

Pearl's ear twitched as he blushed as well, remembering the "moment" they shared suddenly.

"I w-wished for papa-"

"Remember Sapphire, this is TRUTH or dare. Emphasis on the TRUTH?"

It's as if Ruby could read her mind! She shifted her sitting position once, then twice, before deciding to confess.

"I wished to... to be... prettier. OK NOW ITS OUT THERE LET'S MOVE ON" She shot her hand towards the bottle, ready to give it a whirl, before being stopped by Ruby's grip.

"You _actually_ **wished** to be more beautiful, Sapphire?"

She looked away and huffed. "I KNOW. It's impossible."

"N-no, it's not that-"

"Don't take it seriously; it was probably the Dustox dust's effect on my brain"

Diamond and Platina chuckled, but Pearl was too curious about Sapphire's honesty than the joke. _So in the end, she really wanted to be more like Missy huh?_

Ruby sighed and let go of her shot her a you're-not-off-the-hook-yet look and gestured her to continue.

Sapphire grumbled, took a deep breath, and then spun the bottle.

As the group played, the remaining pokemon in the base took a gander at the game themselves, with Coco spinning the Pokeblock Maker around like a bottle. Lax, Mimi, Rapidash, Chahiko and Rono watching attentively. After a few spins, they heard a loud stomp on the floor.

With heads poised up, the pokemon looked towards the gang in curiosity of where the stomp came from, only to go back to their game after realizing it was only Pearl being Pearl.

"WHAT? ME?" Pearl screamed, loosening his lime-green scarf from the rising heat in his face._ Why did SAPPHIRE have to spin it?_ _I... I can't even look at her straight!_

"What's the big deal Pearl? I won't ask you to do anything _too_ outrageous... Maybe just a little" The caramel-head smacked the blonde's shoulder in a fit of hefty laughter, making Pearl even more flustered.

"T-then I pick TRUTH. Hah! Can't make me do anything stupid now, huh-"

"Who's the first girl you've ever been in love with?"

"That's easy I-... WHAT?" In a split second, Pearl leapt up, his hands gripping his hair as if he was about to rip his blonde locks off. "WHY would you ask a thing like that?"

The gang looked at her, obviously piqued with interest as well.

Sapphire simply stuck a small tongue out and made a peace sign with her gloved-hand. "I'm a girl too ya know, it's fun to know these things!" Ruby looked at her like he didn't even recognize her, Diamond and Platina were still focused on the frantic Pearl.

Platina simultaneously darted her dark eyes from Pearl to Sapphire, and then vice-versa; her heart pounding with uncertainty. _I don't think this is the right time to reveal your inclination towards Sapphire, Pearl... What on earth will you do?_

"It... It was" The blonde fumbled in his speech, before taking a deep breath and facing Platina.

"It was Missy. My first crush was Missy. But that was more than four years ago! It's totally gone!"

Almost everyone was speechless, especially his best friend. Sapphire kind of expected it, patting his back to thank him for his honesty. Ruby simply shrugged, unfazed by such information.

"R-really, Pearl? You had a _crush_ on me back when we were kids?" The lady was more delighted than surprised, finding the small tid-bit very amusing. Diamond was still confused; he had no idea!

"Y-yeah, but it was probably because I didn't have a lot of female friends back then.. So, yeah NEXT" With his arm stretched wide and a forceful slap right after, the bottle was spun.

The atmosphere that hovered within the base grew tense, each of them in their respective realm of deep thought. Platina and Diamond still couldn't get over Pearl's confession, Pearl just wanted to get it over with, Ruby's thoughts still lingered on why Sapphire wished on such a thing, and Sapphire thought about Ruby's childhood with Platina.

They all gulped, before the bottle stopped at Platina.

"!"

Pearl smirked, loving the chance to tease her quite a bit. Ever since he realized that _friends_ were the top priority in their trio, she become more of a little sister to him; Almost needing his guidance.

"I suppose I pick dare..."

"Great! Now Missy..." He deviously tapped his fingers together as he schemed a deliciously fun dare. He gave Platina and Diamond a glare, which made their eyes narrow in surprise.

"Missy, I dare you to tie yours' and Diamond's scarf together for two whole days!" And with a satisfied huff, Pearl crossed his arms triumphantly, nodding to himself at how clever he can be sometimes. _You owe me one, buddy._

Diamond's chubby cheeks were bright pink as he waved his arms around like mad. "I c-can definitely NOT handle that, Pearl!" The lazy-eyed boy pleaded, but if fell on deaf ears as Pearl was too busy dragging his sidekick towards the determined Lady, who ever-so-seriously tied their red scarves together in a comfortable knot.

"A dare is a dare, Diamond. I'm sorry Pearl had to include you in his scheme; but I can never turn down anything that has been challenged of me." They fell into silence, with Diamond at a loss of words as he sat beside the lady like an obedient little pup.

Sapphire couldn't stop chuckling as she wiped a few tears away. "G-good one, Pearl!"

The lady spun the bottle around for the second time, and after a while it stopped.

"Oh. Ruby"

Ruby, since a while ago, was busy reading the latest issue of _PokeFashion Monthly_. He irritably lowered his good read and peered at the Vodka bottle which was now pointed towards him.

_I guess she isn't capable of thinking of anything too __**degrading**_... He smiled curtly. "Dare"

"I dare you to jump up and-" Suddenly, the lady was cut by (yet-again) the sudden "Suggesting" of Pearl. He whispered something into her ear, earning him a giggle from the lady. "-Dare you to wear whatever Sapphire wore before you met her"

_Sapphire= Before I met her= Wore = Leaves._

Ruby's jaw dropped. _You've GOT to be kidding me. Pearl you __**JERK**__._

"I meant TRUTH. Truth"

Sapphire sighed. "Gee Ruby, I would've wanted to see you in the stuff I like to wear for a change!"

"Not. Gonna. Happen."

Pearl sighed, scratching the back of his neck in disappointment. "Gee Ruby, great way to dampen a fire." Platina looked a Sapphire for second, before immediately inquiring.

"Well, I suppose I'd like to know the first girl _you've_ fallen in love with"

"On second thought, leaves don't sound too bad-"

"No turning back, Ruby" Platina hissed.

Ruby was always an expert at hiding what he had felt; but it wasn't just naive little Sapphire expecting an answer from him this time. He sat in the base as precious seconds ticked away, an observant Diamond, a skeptical Platina and an ever-curious Pearl awaited his answer, their eyes following every movement he made.

Platina, deep in her heart wished he might have even a tinge of fondness towards her. Even if it meant coming from the past. _I did mention **first**_, _I'm sure there **must** be a reason for his kindness and my remembering all this time... There **has **to be._

Sapphire's heart pounded just as heavily as Ruby's and Platina's. She bit her lip and tightened her grip around a pillow. _Nowhere to run __**now,**__ Ruby. You're finally cornered!_

The crimson eyed boy darted his eyes around, before finally taking a deep breath.

"I... Uh..."

* * *

_A/N: Le gasp! Is Ruby FINALLY going to admit his love for Sapphire? Or will he play it safe and go with Platina instead?  
_

:

_Find out in next chapter; And remember, REVIEW or no update! :)  
_


	18. Chapter 18

As words flowed through Ruby's well-glossed lips, time seemed to stop for the two girls awaiting his response. Pearl noticed Sapphire's deep interest in his answer, forming conclusions on his own.

He observed her; how the caramel-head's deep ocean eyes seemed to dart around in all directions, before falling back at Ruby's way again. Her breathing seemed to slow down, and her brows furrowed to the point that you might be able to stick a card in between them. Sapphire looked like she really _cared_ about who he loved, and that _does _imply the obvious, even to a clueless young man like Pearl.

_She loves Ruby. She always has._

The effects of that realization weren't immediate on Pearl; the moment was still hung up on Ruby's answer; which can either go two ways. He folded his arms and let out a grunt. _But wait; do I wanna be the rebound guy?_

As this whole scenario of thought paraded through Pearl's head, Ruby had a little _strategy_ of his own. _Her exact words were, "Well, I suppose I'd like to know the first girl __you've__ fallen in love with".  
She didn't suggest me answering with a name, so…_

He started; everyone listened intently with bated breath.

"The first girl I've fallen for… She was **beautiful**. That girl was incredibly dainty, graceful even. I remember she had a beautiful frilly dress that seemed to taunt me with how it fluttered in the wind… Shiny and well-kept hair, and a smile I couldn't erase from my thoughts even if a pokemon used confusion on me"

He was, from start to finish, undeniably being honest with himself; ending with a smile that warmed his heart, remembering his most cherished childhood friend like it was just yesterday.

Pearl, Platina and Diamond all thought the same. _Frilly dress, Beautiful and Dainty? DEFINITELY __**not**__ Sapphire._

Sapphire's heart suddenly found itself incased in a warm aura, her cheeks in a rushed frenzy of pink as she heard those words through her ears.

Problem is, Platina had the same expression on her face as well.

The caramel-head took a moment to let it all in, reminiscing how she was once that very girl he had described. Her light-blue frilly dress with matching head piece, her feet dressed with the finest, black leather Mary Janes. That smile that always seemed to show when he was around… _Yup it all makes sense! _She said to herself, before opening her eyes to give Ruby a nice big hug-

"Oh Ruby! It pleases me to no end knowing that you and I feel the same way about each other…" Platina whispered in his ear as she suddenly wrapped him in a loving embrace with her thin and flawless arms.

Diamond had his jaw hanging loose, unable to decipher everything that was happening to him at the moment. _Did she just mean she __**LOVES**__ him?_

Pearl redirected his eyes towards Diamond and Sapphire; both seemed to be at a loss of words. _I guess both of your hearts were just broken… Ouch_. He heaved a sigh, rubbed his best friend's back and glared angrily at Ruby. _Spineless, good-for-nothing…_

The caramel-head just sat there, gawking at her beloved Ruby and that _Missy_, locked in an embrace. _You meant her?_! She angrily screamed in her head, tears forming in her eyes and she felt the sting of her heart breaking.

Ruby had his arms outstretched, he found himself practically frozen in her embrace. _W-what's going on? Ms. Berlitz __**loves**__ me? My description was as vague as it gets! Unless she thought... Oh no._

"M-Ms. Berlitz it's not what you-"

Before Ruby could finish his sentence, Sapphire stood up and with incredible speed, sprinted away from the base screaming "YOU JERK!"

He tried getting up to run after the heartbroken girl, only to be stopped by Pearl's heavy hand gripping his shoulder. "Don't you think you've done enough damage for a day?"

"Someone like you wouldn't understand! Unhand me!"

Platina was a bit dismantled from Ruby's forceful shaking, obviously wanting to escape her embrace. "This is m-my fault I-" She loosened her arms and moved away from the crimson-eyed boy. "I got too ahead of myself and... I've hurt Sapphire, I didn't assume she..."

"And what **don't** we understand?" Diamond suddenly shot at Ruby, his face actually showing signs of anger and irritation. Platina couldn't believe her eyes.

"That girl... She's Missy, isn't she? And right after saying that, you _still_ have the nerve to run after Sapphire?"

Pearl nodded in agreement and tightened his grip on Ruby's shoulder. Platina remained seated, getting more and more confused with each passing second.

Ruby just about had it with these three. "You don't know _anything._"

"You don't need to be a genius to figure out how much you love everything beautiful, Ruby. And you've made it pretty clear to us that Sapphire doesn't exactly make it to the top of your list" Diamond exclaimed, tightening his fists. After a pause, he continued.

"Our point is, what more can you say to that girl that could possibly make the situation less hurtful?"

Ruby rolled his eyes and forcefully shook his shoulder, attempting to get Pearl's hand off. The blonde was taken aback by the sudden show of strength from the boy, but grabbed his arm in retaliation.

"Didn't you listen to anything Diamond said? Leave Sapphire alone!"

"Let go Pearl, if you know what's good for you." Ruby couldn't hold it in any longer, nonetheless, he still tried. Pearl was more than determined to hold on to Ruby for as long as he can, and with determined eyes, screamed.

"And then what! You'll **groom** me to death!"

KSHHH! With a roar of thunder echoing from the storm outside, Ruby snapped.

"NANA!"

And with that one word, Nana leapt from the back and ran in between Pearl and Ruby, pushing Pearl forcefully in the opposite direction.

SLAM!

The blonde felt the sting in his back as he tried to get up. Platina's eyes widened from seeing them fight, she held her arms against her knees and watched in terror as the two of them battle it out.

"Where the heck did that come from-" Pearl mumbled as he struggled to get up.

"Let me spell it out for you in case you _still_ don't get it." The crimson-eyed boy placed one hand on his hip and the other pointing out towards Pearl.

"I never said it was Ms. Berlitz. You all thought that on your own. I didn't choose _anybody_. You idiots lead yourselves to believe who it was."

His crimson-eyes were already emitting the same gym-leader-like appeal as his father. The red orbs appeared so sharp that as the trio gawked at him, they seemed to be cornered by sharp, red blades.

"Ms. Berlitz, I apologize for the misunderstanding." As he said that, Platina froze and looked away. Her breathing turned heavy. Diamond rushed to her side and wrapped his arms around her for support, but he still refused to let Ruby leave his sight.

Pearl managed to get up, shuddering with repressed rage. "S-so it's Sapphire then..."

Ruby smirked and gave him a mischievous wink. "Yup! And she's all mine, don't forget!"

The blonde's eyes suddenly narrowed as Ruby's words passed through his ears like bullets through flesh.

"Now if you three will excuse me... I've got a barbarian to catch" And with a *click!*, Ruby took off with his trusty running shoes on, braving the thunderous storm to run after Sapphire.

* * *

"THAT JERK! THAT JERK! THAT JERK!"

Despite it being early in the afternoon, the sky was covered in eerie, dark clouds that showered the forest continuously with rain. The mud formed from the ground sloshed and splattered itself all over the young girl's body as she forced her legs to take her farther and farther away from the source of hurt.

_Just make it all go away..._ She thought to herself, as the pain in her legs failed to make the pain in her heart lessen.

She ran passed a few more great oaks, before finally resting in an area vaguely familiar to her. She looked around, her misty eyes trying to take in its surroundings, before letting her exhausted body collapse in its own weight. She laid there, her entire body soaking in the chilly rain water.

_I should've known this would happen the moment he laid eyes on her. _She cringed and let her tears flow freely, letting it mix with the rain that fell onto her face. _Who was I kidding? One, he keeps tellin' me he doesn't remember anything about the air car incident..._

_And two, I don't even stand a chance against a beauty like Missy._

She sat up, tightened her fists and screamed towards the foggy atmosphere in front of her, veins protruding near her throat. "Beauty, brains and brawn... She has everything! Even RUBY! And what do I get?"

"A new outfit, that's what you'll get. You're completely covered in filth!"

Sapphire's ear twitched as that ever-familiar voice pierced through the dripping noises the rain made. She refused to look back, she knew it was him.

"Go away, Ruby. Never speak to me again!"

"I heard that line before"

"At least ya can still remember _something_"

She curled up and stared blankly towards the mist, still refusing to look back. The rain started to tone down to a drizzle.

"I do. And would like to know some other things I remember?"

"Pshh. I bet it's something stupid; it always is"

"Oh? Well let me enlighten you then..."

"Missy..." Diamond pleaded as he held her tight. He wanted to see her face, her beautiful dark eyes that threw his balance off so easily. He knew he would be faced with tears, but that's why he's there.

"Please look at me Missy" She weakly shook her head. Diamond had had enough and took his hand out and placed it under Platina's chin. "Missy, Ruby's the kind of person that keeps people guessing and…"

The young lady took a deep breath and embraced Diamond. He flushed but kept his cool as he felt her tears dampen his shirt. "I know full and well what just happened and I had accepted that it was **I** that misunderstood everything"

"Not quite." Pearl retorted.

"Huh? Whad'ya mean Pearl?" Diamond asked, docking his capped-head.

"Ruby liking Sapphire back; I didn't see _that_ one coming"

"Well they do fuss a lot but…"

Platina chuckled, making the two boys' jaws hang in shock. She wiped her tears and gracefully stood up, assisting Diamond as he followed.

"I can see _now_ that they really are a team. I'm betting no one can really understand them the way they do each other; just like us three, wouldn't you think so… Diamond, Pearl?"

The two boys smiled in response, just as they always have when she calls them out. "I jumped to conclusions. I let my feelings get in the way of clear judgment…" _And have hurt and confused friends along the way. I must make everything right again._

She sighed and sat down on a stool, placing one hand on her lap, the other massaging her forehead. "What I don't understand is why it still pains me; even if I've gotten the misunderstanding all figured out."

Pearl sighed and plopped himself down beside her. "I'd like to know that too…"

Diamonds opened his mouth to say something but was unable to decipher the best way to cheer his teammates up. He lightly punched his head, until he came up with an idea; and after a moment, he slipped quietly back to the kitchen without the others noticing.

* * *

"Sapphire…" Her name always sounded sweet when he says it. He took a deep breath and walked towards her. "Remember those days we played around as kids?"

She grunted and held her knees close to her. "How could I forget…"

"I never did."

"What's your point?"

"Well obviously the girl I was talking about back there, she isn't Ms. Berlitz. Wouldn't you think so?"

Her shoulders shot up in response, her mouth wide open in shock. "It wasn't her?"

"No it wasn't. But sadly, I've fallen out of love with that girl I was talking about"

Sapphire's heart plummeted in a split second. She didn't know what to feel anymore actually, gripping the dirt that surrounded her with her gloved hands.

"I've fallen out of love with her, and have fallen for someone new; someone much better."

"You're such JERK! You came here just to break my heart twice-"Sapphire was interrupted, as her arm was suddenly grabbed by his hand.

He gently raised her up. She was shocked to see his wet clothes dripping in mud, and his hat folded out of shape. Not at all like the Ruby she's used to seeing.

"This new girl I've fallen for… She…" He bit his lip, but chose to continue. "She's brave, strong and adventurous. She can be quite a nut sometimes, but I'm betting there isn't any other girl like her. That girl would do anything in her power to help others out, and isn't at all affected by what people think of her."

He let go of her hand and looked down. She was left speechless.

"I thought it would always be just me and her. I've always selfishly kept her to myself, always keeping her close. But when a sudden person stepped into our lives, other options were shown to her."

She stepped back and docked her head. _Pearl?_

"I thought everything would remain as it were, but it tormented me… How much I was exposed to the threat of not being her _only one_ anymore. She's plenty charming, yet I chose to believe I was the only one who thought so. Boy was I wrong"

They both shivered at the long exposure to the rain, but neither really felt it as Ruby poured his heart out to her.

"And when other options stepped into _my_ life, I started to compare. And all I've come up with is how much more I seemed to cherish her,  
it proved to me that _no one_ can equal her at all. Not even an heiress"

She blinked.

"R-ruby…"

"Now I just want that girl to know… I want her to know that I…" He was stopped by a finger over his lips.  
Sapphire smirked and after silencing him, took out her other hand as if to ask him for a handshake.

"Nice to meet you! I'm **that girl**. What did you wanna say?"

* * *

_A/N: See that pun on the title? So as you guys can see, __**Nice to Meet You**__ did __**not**__ refer to Pearl's trio meeting Ruby and Sapphire, but Ruby and Sapphire seeing eye to eye; meeting each other for the first time as something else._

_Deep? Nah! Keep reading guys, I was REALLY pleased to receive a lot of reviews from the last chapter. Thanks for that! _

_P.S. I __**cosplayed **__Sapphire recently; (YES I'm THAT addicted) please add your rate and comment in your review: _

.

_Thanks for reading and please review!_


	19. Chapter 19

And there they both stood, Ruby and Sapphire. Was it any different from the time they stood side by side playing around in the dirt, training their pokemon, saving the whole world or playing truth or dare?

Maybe not entirely so.

There stood the same faces, same expressions, same smiles. But beneath everything that had happened which made this moment seem ordinary, two hearts beat in unison.

Sapphire's caramel locks danced playfully as the mid-afternoon glow made her face seem angelic. The serenity plastered on her features made Ruby's heart race even faster; such a refreshing change from the usual fierce grimace she daunts. It's as if no trace of wildness was seen about her.

"So? What was it you wanted to tell me, Ruby?" Her voice was strangely light and feminine. As if right after hearing Ruby's side, she can finally remove a mask that had been used to protect her girly side.

He took a deep breath, as if trying to take the whole situation in at the same time, and took her hand. He closed his eyes and paused, after a few heartbeats, looked up at her with an intensely serious gaze.

…

"I love you."

Her heart seemed to have been plunged into an ice-cold ravine. Chills vibrated through her body as those words she so longingly wanted to hear, finally passed through his lips.

He held her hand with a grip that seemed to never want to let go. His cheeks flushed with an intense hue of red and pink, as he stared into her ocean-blue eyes. Ruby almost ended up drowning in her gaze, before she spoke.

"I… I love you too"

She had the brightest, fanged smile a girl could ever beam.

"H-how about… Pearl" He looked away suddenly, tightening his hold on her warm hand.

"Pearl? What do you- huh!" Sapphire scratched her head, totally unaware of Pearl's apparent feelings for her. Ruby sighed, both feeling exasperated **and** relieved.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. So! Let's head back, they might get worried and-"

Before Sapphire could continue, the crimson-eyed boy wrapped his wet and muddy arms around her in a tight embrace.

"And I thought cave-people loved the outdoors. Let's stay a bit longer?"

He buried his face into her hair and stayed still. Her woodsy-fresh scent was suddenly **very** attractive to him at the moment; _so_ different from the aromas of his synthetic perfumes.

She struggled a bit, not wanting to be released but at the same time, startled by his sudden affection. "W-what are you talking about? We're all muddy and-"

"That never bothered you before, why should it now?"

And with that, Sapphire finally clammed up and stopped struggling.

"That's a **good **cave girl"

He smirked and kissed her cheek. She jerked her head, but finally returned his embrace.

"Shut up."

"Alright, feast your eyes _and stomachs_ on this! Voila!"

Diamond suddenly popped out of the kitchen with a silver tray in tow, his friends redirecting their gazes towards him as he paraded towards them.

As the lazy-eyed boy placed the platter in front of them, he lifted the cover from his dish and revealed a scrumptious-looking Roast Pecking Psyduck entrée.

"Poffins aren't my only specialty… Though, it's my first time cooking anything extravagant like this so, don't be too harsh on me Missy!"

The young lady's eyes suddenly formed tears on the corners as she indulged the sight and smell of her most favorite dish in the entire world. "H-how did you know-"

"Well…" Diamond started rubbing his nose sheepishly as he tried to recall. "Once, as we walked along a road lined with some cheap oriental restaurants, I saw you staring at something like this. When I asked you if you wanted to eat that dish, you shook your head and said _Daddy doesn't allow me to eat such a strange cuisine_. But after saying that, you looked back again like you _really_ wanted to taste it. I saw some in the market a while ago and thought about cooking it for you tonight… Before we leave"

She took a deep breath and lifted a fork and knife to slice the golden-brown meat. Pearl grabbed his best friend and gave him a hearty noogie in the head. "Ya really outdone yourself this time, Dia!"

Diamond let out a chuckle before ravishing in Missy's delighted smile.

"It's delicious. Exactly what I needed."

She wiped her mouth clean and stood up. The lady then, wrapped her arms around her dear companions.

"You both are _exactly _what I needed. Thank you"

"No problem Missy" Pearl beamed.

"That's what we're here for!" Diamond added.

The trio sat down and started to eat, but as the meal progressed, Pearl started to appear distracted as he played around with a vegetable on his plate with a fork.

"I always thought you liked potatoes, Pearl"

"It's not the potatoes…" He sighed. The lady had an idea as to why he was upset and patted his back gently.

"There there, Pearl. I'm sure they're safe and will be back soon."

The blonde grunted and rubbed the back of his neck. "It's not that either"

Diamond suddenly stopped his chewing and gawked at Pearl. "Is just it me, or do you like Sapphire?"

Missy rubbed her temples irritably as the blonde slipped and fell out of his chair and grumbled. "Gee Diamond, when did you figure _that_ out?"

"So THAT'S why you're always so protective and stuff. Also probably why Ruby annoys you more than the usual!"

"I… I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Pearl." The lady put her utensils down and looked at him with serious eyes. "Given that nothing had happened to them out there and when they come back… You _will_ fight for your feelings, won't you? I've always thought of you as someone that never _ever _gives up, no matter what the circumstances are"

The blonde blinked once or twice, before burying his face onto his hands. "But she said she loved him. I'm as stumped as the time me and Dia fought"

Diamond hated seeing Pearl in a state of hopelessness; it was an extremely rare sight. "Pearl, show her what you're made of"

"Come again?"

"If you really like her, show her what you can do! Be whatever Ruby **isn't**."

"But I-"

"Even if they end up arm in arm when they come back, you haven't told her how you feel. Right?"

"I'll just end up embarrassing myself!"

Diamond slammed his fork down and took Pearl by the shoulders. "Did that EVER come across your mind before we stepped up to do our double acts in front of a large crowd? NO IT DIDN'T."

Platina was starting to feel the difficulty Pearl was faced with as she watched this scenario play on. _Pearl __**does**__ have a point. Sapphire running off after assuming Ruby loved me, clearly shows how much she cares about him…_

"No, Diamond. This requires the proper planning and precise timing for Pearl to get a chance."

"This isn't a gym battle, Missy!" Pearl complained, waving his arms around in embarrassment.

"If you think about it carefully… It **is** like a pokemon battle. You're the pokemon, and I'm the trainer. Only, we're fighting for Sapphire and not a badge. Prepare yourself, Pearl. We shall win you this badge"

Diamond nodded eagerly, simply wanting his dear friend to go back to his fiery self.

Pearl sighed but shrugged in the end. "It's worth a try… I guess it'll give me closure"

He watched his friends devise a plan for him, then redirected his gaze onto the cave opening. _Well, Sapphire? As much as I want to see you happy, I want you to know you have __**other**__ options as well… Ruby, watch out. I won't give up so easily!_

* * *

"R-ruby…"

"Hm?"

The fresh-out-of-the-box couple walked side by side, hand-in-hand, along the forest trail which was still rather moistened with rainwater.

The caramel-head kept her gaze locked onto the ground, still feeling uncomfortable with the sudden closeness. Ruby reveled in this unusual shyness about her, smirking and glancing at this more feminine Sapphire occasionally.

"Can we keep this a secret first?" She suddenly chirped.

"Why not? Is your dad over-protective perhaps? Well, even if he wasn't like that, you getting a boyfriend would still be pretty outragou-"

"What was it ya just muttered, s-sissy boy..?" A strange, fiery aura emitted from her, Ruby winced.

"N-nothing important…"

Sapphire sighed. "It's just… Let everything cool down first…"

Ruby thought a while about her intentions, before realizing that the ones waiting for them back at their secret base aren't just their pokemon.

"Oh yeah, Ms. Berlitz!" He said with a carefree nod.

"Don't say it like it's nothing! Did ya say anything to her that might make her feel bad?" Sapphire tightened her free hand's grip. _I'd hate to be the reason for tears… Especially for someone so innocent and naïve like Missy…_

"Well, I simply told her that I didn't feel anything beyond mutual friendship. Was that a bad thing?" The crimson-eyed boy cupped his chin in contemplation, before being hit on the back rather forcefully by Sapphire.

"Ya idiot! Did ya have to be so blunt?"

"Sapphire, **I** of** all** people know when to use sugary words. With people like Ms. Berlitz, who tend to scrutinize speech like a restaurant bill, straightforward words must be used!" As Ruby spoke, Sapphire swears she could see sparkles gleam around him. She shook her head and replied rather loudly.

"I have NO idea what ya just said, but.. Let's just keep it on the down low first!"

"I can't promise that. I'd like _certain _people to know our current state, **immediately**."

Sapphire's blue eyes widened in response. _Does he mean PEARL again?_

"Certain people… Pearl?"

"I never implied such a name, but since it isn't such a big deal… Yes. We should probably tell him as well since he's benn SUCH a good friend to you-"

"I d-don't wanna do that either! Jeez!" She suddenly let go of his hand and fumbled around with her hair.

"Huh?" Ruby suddenly looked very concerned. "Why would you want to hide it from him? Sapphire…"

"I told him I didn't like you, I couldn't admit it then. It'll just mess his brain up, and Pearl gets _weird_ when you screw around with his head"

Ruby docked his head in exasperation, an annoyed smile curling from the corners of his lips. _You're worried about messing his BRAIN up? Well what about my HEALTH after he finds out? It'll probably be best to hide it to avoid trouble then, as she said. Besides, they'll be leaving Littleroot soon anyway, won't they?_

"Fine. I see your point." He sighed and continued walking, using both his hands to squeeze the rainwater out of his white hat.

"What do we tell them?" The duo were now at the cave's entrance.

"I guess we act like nothing happened."

"Should be easy enough for **you**, huh Ruby?" Sapphire giggled and nudged him with her elbow.

"Hmph. Well, we'll **have** to tell them sooner or later, alright?" He smiled and patted her head playfully, before entering the base.

She grunted, but smiled after, as she trailed behind him into the cave.

* * *

"I-I could hear footsteps!" Diamond screamed as he flapped his arms worriedly like a chick out of its mother's nest.

"Stay calm! Just casually lounge around… And remember the plan!"

Pearl furrowed his brows, but reluctantly gave a cross-sat beside Diamond. _I hope this'll work Platina. Your plans can be pretty outrageous sometimes…_

"Hey guys, I hope we didn't get you worried or anything. We're perfectly fine. Seems like Sapphire just forgot something out in the forest, didn't you Sapphire?" Ruby's act was undeniably flawless as he waved towards everyone and waltzed in.

Sapphire was less of an actor, looking at everything but Missy and Pearl. "Y-yeah, I left some stuff out to dry and bolted out as soon as I remembered!" _Whew, it's a good thing Ruby's a master when it comes to excuses…_

"It's perfectly fine, you two. We just had a wonderful dinner, courtesy of Pearl. We saved some for you both. Please help yourself!" Platina chirped. _As much as my curiosity is piqued right now, I must hold it in... For Pearl's sake!_

Ruby sensed the tension, with Pearl completely avoiding his glance. He sighed and looked down, only to realize a trail of rainwater and mud he had just left all over the base's carpet!

"Oh SERIOUSLY! And I just vacuumed this yesterday! I'll eat later; I've got to go home and clean up before these mud marks permanently stain this shirt! See you guys!"

He jolted out of the base without so much as a glance toward Sapphire. Everyone, including the caramel-head, was dumbstruck.

"Hmm… Oh well, more food for me then!" She casually said, wolfing down the food like a mad man.

Pearl sighed and directed his amber eyes towards the girl in front of him. She wasn't the most well-mannered… Nor is she the most feminine girl in the market; but those facts didn't stop him from feeling his heart beat faster. No, this adrenaline was _real._

Platina and Diamond suddenly nodded, giving him permission to initiate the plan.

He gripped his shirt tight, then slammed his fists on the table.

"SAPPHIRE! I'd like you to meet my family tomorrow!"

…

The carmael-head blinked once, then twice, before slightly choking on a piece of meat. She coughed slightly, drank some water, before regaining her composure and breathing.

"S-say what? All the way from Sinnoh? **WHY**?"

"They are all battle enthusiasts you see…"

Diamond continued. "And with Sapphire being such an enthusiastic trainer as well…"

Platina followed. "We thought that while Pearl is in this region, and his family being a just phone call away…"

"That maybe, you'd like to meet them and stuff…" Pearl concluded, crossing his arms and nodding in determination.

"W-well… I uh…" _I would NEVER pass up a chance like this; but Ruby might take it the wrong way…_ She bent her head right and left, thinking real hard about the pros and cons. _Hmmm… Nah! I shouldn't pass a chance like this up! Ruby will understand!_

"Well, Sapphire?"

The trio looked at each other back and forth, before darting their eyes anxiously onto Sapphire.

….

"Count me in!"

* * *

_A/N: And you thought the spice of the story had escaped me? I can still pull out a few tricks from my sleeves; hope you're all still craving for some fun! Tell me if it seems too forced and I'll do something about it right away! Always remember that despite all the drama, these teenagers are still young and rather naïve… _

_**Note: **__I have made Pearl's family a combination of different blonde characters derived from different chapters of Pokespe._

**_ If inaccuracy of the cast bothers you, stop reading. _**

_I don't want to hear complaints about how it isn't following the manga; alright?_

_P.S. Thanks for giving me 100+ reviews! I love you all~_


	20. Chapter 20

_A/N: Yes I know it has been MONTHS from the last update, and for that, I apologize.  
But with the coming out of B&W comes the revitalization of my interest in Pokémon!  
I just hope it carries on up until I finish this darn story. _

_Anyway, enjoy!_

_P.S. This chapter is chock full of phone calls._

* * *

"Mom? Yeah, it's Pearl."

"Oh Pearl, honey? I can't hear you so well… Which city in Hoenn are you in, exactly?"

"A place called Littleroot"

"Sounds extremely… Average. What's my hot-head son doing in a place like _Littleroot_?"

"Well uhm… You see mom…"

Pearl paced back and forth with the expression on his face changing every five seconds, making Platina and Diamond strangely uneasy.

"I cannot deny my overwhelming curiosity as regards to Pearl's family. Have you met them, Dia?"

The boy swung his head from side to side, trying to recall bits and pieces of his childhood memories. "Well, I remember meeting them once or twice… We'd always go out to play so I didn't get to see them that much…"

Diamond stared blankly at his red-faced partner and chuckled. _The only time Pearl gets __**this**__ fussy is when it concerns our double acts!_

"Oh! I just remembered. They're all blonde."

Platina's eyes sharpened as she realized that she's finally getting somewhere with Diamond. (Which rarely ever happens) "Right, a commonality is blonde hair. Anything else? Try harder!"

"Well, his mom was pretty… Also, Pearl probably got his enthusiasm from his mom. His dad was somewhat quiet… Just like his sister"

"Was she older or younger?"

"I couldn't tell. She was much shorter than he was, but acted all mature and stuff. My head hurts just thinking about her!"

Pearl walked in-between them before Platina could open her mouth. The blonde then, jabbed his thumb on a red button in his Poketech and shoved it in his pocket.

"Mom says she'll stop by with the family tomorrow at noon since they were on the way to visit my grandma anyway"

Platina's face lit up as Pearl's words passed through her ears. All the blonde did was sigh and scratch the back of his neck in strain.

"That sounds marvellous! How fortunate are we to have had the perfect timing for our plan to take place!"

"Missy's right Pearl. Once Sapphire sees how kick-ass your family is, I'm sure she'll warm up to you in no time."

These words were true and yet, Pearl felt something unusual tugging at his heart. _This could go either very right, or very __**wrong**__._

* * *

*Riiiiiiiiiiiiing* The blue Poketech rang continuously, feeding echoes of high-pitched beeping across a room sprinkled with piles of clothes, battle magazines and empty food containers. Sapphire just got out of a hot shower; freshly scrubbed from all rain water and mud that had stuck onto her skin and hair.

"Who the heck would call at this time of night? *BEEP* Hello? This is Saph-"

"Hey, what're your plans for tomorrow?"

As soon as she heard that unmistakable voice and sassy tone, Sapphire couldn't help but smile upon realizing who her caller was. (She usually scowls though!)

"Why, what's it to ya?" She chirped, feeling new sensations all around her chest as she clung on the white towel wrapped around her dripping body.

On the other end of the line, a certain raven-haired boy laid down on his ruby-red bed, placing an arm behind his head to relax. "Just thought we'd hang out tomorrow… Just the two of us"

Sapphire could feel her cheeks burn as if she was still standing under the flow of a hot shower. These sensations are so new and intense, all the more since it was Ruby who made her feel them!

"I uh" She was about to agree, until she suddenly remembered the arrangement she already had with Pearl. _I can't back out of __**that**__ one; it would be SO embarrassing to Pearl and his family!_

"Actually, now that ya ask me… Yes, I do have plans" She scratched her nose and sighed, holding the phone with a tighter grip.

"What?"

"Y-yeah… Sorry, Ruby"

"B-but… You **never** have plans! What's going on?" _Is she hiding something from me?_

"I… uh" _Should I tell him the truth or not? As soon as he hears "Pearl", he'll freak!_

"Why are you stuttering? Look, if you're busy it's no big deal. We can always hang out the next day"

"Really? Gee, thanks for not getting mad, Ruby!" Sapphire relaxed her shoulders and started looking for clean clothes she could use for bed.

"Why, is there a reason for me to be angry? What exactly will you be doing tomorrow, huh?" The boy shot up from his mattress and just sat there, his curiosity captured by her unusual words and tone.

_Oh shoot. VERY VERY smart, Sapphire. What the heck will I say now? _Sapphire looked around and spotted an empty glass bottle on the floor. She suddenly remembered what she and her friends played last night…

_Truth or dare? Oh, that's right! All I've got to do is twist words around so I won't end up being the bad guy and Ruby won't have to be worried at all!_

"Well, you see… I'll be… Training my Pokémon against strong trainers all day! I know how much you hate that" _Well technically, I'll be battling Pearl's folks so… It ain't lying at all!_

"Oh really? And who, if I may ask, are these _strong trainers_?" Ruby stood up and stretched his arms with the Poketech tucked between his chin and shoulder. _I'm usually indifferent to her whereabouts, but she's definitely hiding something._

"They're… From a different region so, I have no clue!" Sapphire popped her head through the collar of an "I love Mudkipz" dress-shirt. _Even If I __**do**__ know they're Pearl's family, I technically don't know who they are exactly. I'm not telling any lies!_

"A different region? How were you able to contac-"

"Ok, I was dressing up but now I hafta put on my panties and eat dinner and I can't do that with the Poketech on my chin and stuff so… Buh-bye! Talk to you later Ruby!"

*BEEP*

"HUH! Wait a minu-" Ruby realized the other line was dead, and hung up. _Suggestive undergarments aside, I am __**definitely **__curious in finding out just who these "strong trainers" are. I guess I'll have to ask father abou-_

*RIIIIIING RIIIIING*

*BEEP*

"Yes, Ruby speaking"

"Sup, Ruby? Dia here!"

_Wait, Diamond? Why the heck is HE calling me in the middle of the night?_

"Uhm… Hi Diamond… Need any help?"

"Sorry for calling you at night, it's just that I suddenly thought of it a minute ago"

"Thought of what, exactly?"

"Well, since Missy, Pearl and I will be leaving Hoenn soon… I thought that maybe it would be cool for me to pay you back for your hospitality and everything… And what better way to pay back a favour than by teaching you how to make **Golden Poffins**!"

* * *

The rest of the conversation was a huge blur to the lazy-eyed boy. All Diamond could remember was very loud screaming and "YES", repeated over and over again.

*BEEP*

"Well THAT turned out better than I imagined!" Diamond chirped, stuffing a few mouthfuls of potato chips after. The three were comfortably staying at a luxury hotel, reserved by none other than Platina.

"Yes indeed. I am quite guilty about having done this to Ruby, but we must expose Sapphire to _all_ her options" The lady replied, focused on signing some cheques she acquired not too long ago from a Spy Agency.

"Uhm, Missy? I wouldn't wanna be nosy or anything… But, what are those tiny walkie-talkie things for?"

"Why, for our **mission **of course!" _These tiny walkie-talkies with matching headset are perfect for three-way communication. Now the three of us can simultaneously communicate without having to be obvious!_

Pearl sat beside Diamond, his arms crossed and a determined look slapped across his face. "Since we've gone _this_ far, there's no turning back."

"Indeed. Now, do we all remember the plan? As much as possible, we will try and avoid Ruby ever meeting Sapphire during the entire span of tomorrow. We have three-way walkie-talkie devices that we can use to commu-"

"Oh! Oh! Missy, can we have codenames? Like those spies I used to watch when I was a kid!"

"Dia- no… Diamond! Keep your childish fantasies out of my love life!"

"No, Pearl. Actually, they **do** serve a purpose. By having codenames we conceal our identities and make our mission much less obvious to the common eye." _And also, I do love those __**Bond**__ movies father used to show me!_

The blonde huffed and shook his head in defeat. "FINE"

"I think they should all be related to one another. You know, our names" Diamond added.

The trio thought for a moment, before Platina jumped up at an idea suddenly popping into her head. "Oh! I used to watch this cartoon when I was a little girl called Powerpuff Girls"

"What's your point, Missy?" The blonde retorted, impatiently tapping his fingers on the sofa's arm. _This is just stupid._

"Since you're so very impatient all the time Pearl… You shall be **Buttercup**. I will be **Blossom** and Diamond…"

"**Bubbles**, right?" The lazy-eyed boy chirped proudly, remembering the character's name like clockwork. _I loved that show! Mojojojo was hilarious!_

Pearl slapped a hand across his face when he heard this. _I'll just forget I ever heard that, buddy._

"Most certainly! Alright, Bubbles, Buttercup… Our mission tomorrow is to capture the heart and mind of Sapphire, while avoiding a nasty meeting with Ruby!"

* * *

7:00AM, Littleroot Town Local Airport.

A jet plane's loud propeller can be heard from miles around as the piece of fine machinery headed towards the ground. Wild Pokémon scurry away as the plane made its mechanical and speedy landing on the pavement at the centre of the field.

A tall, stylish woman stepped off the stairs, donning long, gorgeous locks of blonde hair, complete with black ribbons tied all around the top. She wore all black to match, and had a fur-trimmed coat that seemed to accentuate her style even more. "It's nice to get away once in a while, isn't it honey?"

"This Sapphire girl better be worth the detour" Her husband replied as he followed her down the steps of the plane. He had blonde hair just like his wife, but short and spikey all over. He wore a sapphire-blue jacket with yellow detail on the sides of the sleeves; Dark blue pants and a chain that hung across his hips. He had fierce, determined eyes that just screamed _Yo, I'm Pearl's Father._

Meanwhile, a petite little girl followed her folks towards the inside of the airport. She appeared to be quite on the short side, but stood her ground confidently. Behind her trailed a female Pikachu she lovingly named "Chuchu". This girl had long, flowing blonde hair like her mother, only it was tied up neatly in a ponytail. She wore an orange vest-dress with a black turtle-neck beneath, a red belt bag and purple boots. (Ruby would totally murder her if he were ever to see what she was wearing!)

She caught up to her parents, and after a little panting, she was able to speak. "What are we here for again, Mom?"

"Why, we're here to support your little brother on his conquest of love, sweetheart!" The woman replied, patting her daughter lovingly on the head.

"Yes but, just **how** are we going to do such a thing?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Her father scowled, his arms crossed impatiently.

"Well, basically we'll be showing this Sapphire girl a thing or two about how the most powerful family in Sinnoh operates." The woman wore a pair of black shades as she headed out to catch a cab.

"Gee, Mom gets quite determined when given something to do… Doesn't she dad?" The little girl sighed, holding her father's hand as they followed her mother towards the outside of the airport.

"She's Pearl's mother alright" The man replied, dragging a cart filled with piles of heavy bags like it was nothing.

"You're one to talk, dad."

* * *

_A/N: I had fun, incorporating all these characters into the mix! I just have to recapture my writing abilities though as I realized they faltered quite a bit over the past few months of hiatus._

**_PLEASE REVIEW!_**

_It would mean so much to me. :)_


	21. Chapter 21

_A/N: Hey everyone! Well this chapter's going to be quite fast-paced and confusing, so please bear with me. Sorry to spoil but this will be the second to the last chapter! AWWW…. But don't you worry because I'll be making "Nice to Meet You: Black and White edition" very soon. I hope you guys like this chapter!_

* * *

"Ok Toro, Minun, Plusle, Rono, Pilo and Dono! We'll be meeting battle superstars today, so you guys better be in tip-top shape!" The Hoenn girl's beloved team replied with a loud battle cry, before marching directly into Littleroot's middle-sized battle arena. (Every city just _had_ to have one!)

As she pushed the glass doors aside, a blonde-haired woman immediately ran towards her, a delighted smile whipped across her slender features. "And is _this_ the pretty lady we've been hearing so very much about, Pearl darling?"

"Y-yes, mom… Hi Sapphire" Pearl replied, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck as he stepped in closer towards their guest.

"Hey Pearl! And uh… Nice to meet you, Mrs…"

"Just call me Cynthia." With a playful toss of her blonde locks and a charming wink, the fact that Sinnoh's grand champion stood before her, dawned on Sapphire almost immediately. "You don't mean, THE Cynthia… Grand champion of the Sinnoh region?"

"Oh! I like this darling girl of yours, Pearl! She knows her battle personalities quite well!"

"And why SHOULDN'T I know you? You're the first female champion in history! You're a friggin' LEGEND Ms. Cynthia!"

"I didn't know mom was _this_ famous.." The little girl behind her father cringed, a bit frightened by Sapphire's loud outbursts of fandom. Pearl went towards his sister and dad.

"She's quite the ball of energy, isn't she Pearl? Just like you!" His sister chirped, walking towards her little brother. "She climbs trees and swings through vines too… And I'm not joking this time." Pearl added, his face turning a nice shade of red as he did.

"Son, you have **quite** the fetish…" His father scoffed, looking back and forth between his son and Sapphire. "It's NOT a fetish!" The agitated blonde screamed, tightening his fists in anger and embarrassment.

* * *

"Alright, first thing to do is crush the Pinap berries gently…" Diamond moved his arms in a steady motion, crushing the berries with each movement; its juices flowing into a small container afterward.

A red-eyed boy watched him intently from a close distance, eyeing how delicate and precise Diamond's handling was on the berries. It reminded him of how gentle he treated his pokemon when it came to grooming.

"Honestly, Diamond… Who knew you'd be such a master when it comes to Poffins and cuisine? I am **truly **impressed!"

"It's no big deal. If you have an appetite as big as mine, you'll get the urge to cook eventually."

"But it's not as easy as that, right? Golden Poffins are a devil to make!"

"Yeah well with a bit of practice and some luck, you'll get there."

Ruby gave him an enthusiastic nod, mixing the batter after. The Sinnoh-boy on the other hand, felt a pang of guilt deep inside when he saw Ruby following his orders devotedly. _I didn't realize that Ruby's actually a pretty nice guy once you get to know him. Doing this to him isn't like me at all…_

Suddenly, he heard the faint voice of Platina through his intercom.

"*KCHHH* Blossom here. How's it going over there, Bubbles?"

"*KCHH* Everything's *KCH* going smoothly, Blossom."

"*KCHHHHHH* Alright, keep me posted. Blossom **out**."

He hurriedly looked at Ruby's direction to see if he heard, but luckily the white-capped boy was too engrossed in mixing to care about his whispers. Diamond moved closer and tasted the batter.

"Hmmm… It still needs a bit more salt."

"You think? Whenever I ask Sapphire to sample my cooking, she throws the spoon and ends up eating the whole dish without another word! Honestly, she's _such_ an amazon!" Ruby started mixing rapidly, angered by those bitter memories.

"Ahaha, that sounds exactly like her. But, she _did_ eat the whole thing right? And it's the look of satisfaction on her face right after the last bite that makes all the trouble worth it."

The lazy-eyed chef was suddenly infused with memories of his beloved Missy and that Pecking Psyduck he made for her.

"You have a point there. I guess she really ate the whole thing after all."

"See? Food actually tastes a heck of a lot better when the person you're doing it for is in your thoughts."

"You don't say…" Was all Ruby said, looking out into the distance as he mixed the batter steadily.

* * *

Meanwhile in the battle arena, Sapphire surrendered to the soft cushions of the rest lounge, completely exhausted after all that fierce battling. With her caramel-head resting casually on her beloved Blaziken's lap, she let out a cry of fulfilment.

"Ahh! That was _such_ an amazing battle. Who knew the whole Pearl family was so vicious when it comes to battles? Even you, Yellow! You surprised the heck out of me with that adorable-but-killer-Pikachu combo"

Yellow blushed at the compliment and seated herself beside the Hoenn-girl. "You were quite the warrior yourself, Sapphire. Winning two out of four battles is pretty amazing in itself."

"No no,Yellow! When Volkner had me cornered with his Luxray, I felt the fear in Dono's eyes before it gave the final Thundershock! It was insane! And that Pikachu double battle? I thought Minun and Plusle had a unique combo, but those two Pikachu out there really blew me away!"

"Oh uh, the other Pikachu isn't actually mine…" The blonde twiddled with her fingers as thoughts of the most powerful trainer in the world ran through her little head.

"It's alright! Plusle here is borrowed too!"

"Wow. You must be pretty close with the owner, huh? I can tell how much you're in-sync with the owner just by looking at the precise movements of your Minun and Plusle; as if they had one mind!"

"Y-yeah...Ruby and I spent a while training them at Mirage Island…" Suddenly, images of the boy in question appeared in the cave girl's head, making her heart feel a mix of guilt and longing.

From afar, Pearl stood behind a column as he watched Sapphire's expressions change. He begrudgingly gripped his lime-green scarf as he heard that name pass through his ears.

"Ruby…" He choked; his heart sinking as he remembered that boy. _Maybe I'm just __**not**__ the one for her…_

Suddenly, Pearl heard the intercom getting fuzzy-sounding feedback. "Huh? This is Pearl, who is speaking?"

"**Buttercup**? Do you copy, BUTTERCUP?" A slightly irritated feminine voice replied through the tiny speaker. Pearl sighed but decided to play along.

"Yes, Blossom. This is Buttercup. Any problems on Dia- I mean, Bubbles' side?"

"*KCHH* None so far; but it would be best to let Sapphire stay put since we wouldn't want them meeting once Bubbles is all done. Do you copy?"

"Loud and clear... Blossom, just make sure he doesn't-"

"Son, do you have any issues you'd like to talk about?" Volkner suddenly asked, stepping behind Pearl like a ninja out of the shadows. His son leapt out of the way, his face paralyzed from shock.

"L-LEAVE ME ALONE, DAD!"

Platina's speakers suddenly released a loud peep noise after Pearl's scream, making her ears throb which eventually lead her to smash the thing to the ground in pain.

"AGH! Pearl's screaming made me destroy our only means of communication! What in Berlitz's name am I going to do now…?"

* * *

*DING!*

Ruby and Diamond scurried towards the oven, the corners of their mouths drooling from excitement. With gentle and gloved hands, the lazy-eyed boy took the tray out of the oven, revealing a batch of aromatic, shiny, golden Poffins.

"Voila, Ruby! Your very first batch of Golden Poffins… They came out perfectly. Awesome job!"

"Yes, well… I'm the type that masters anything and everything… With a _bit_ of help from a master of course." The raven-haired boy pompously smirked as he laid his eyes on the golden chef-d'oeuvre.

"So, what do you plan to do with these babies? Feed them to Mimi or save 'em up for later?"

"Well, I… Uhm…" He started fidgeting with his nicely-decorated apron, before turning towards Diamond with determined eyes.

"I want to give these to Pearl; as a good-bye and I'm-sorry present."

"Huh? Where-who-what now? You say you wanna give them to, PEARL?"

"Yes, well… I've thought about who I want to share them with when you talked to me a while ago…"

Diamond let out a nervous chuckle when he heard this. He could almost feel Pearl's hands wrapped around his throat.

"And, I've decided that Pearl and I started off on the wrong foot. I'd like to be his friend; he's got a nice sense of style now that I think about it… He really took care of Sapphire as well"

Diamond nodded, and while Ruby added more on that note, the lazy-eyed boy turned away slightly as he spoke to the intercom. "*KCHH* Blossom! Bubbles here… Ruby wants to give the Poffins to Buttercup! What do I do?"

"…"

"Blossom! Please answer!"

Diamond's eyes jotted in all directions out of panic; but his outburst was cut short by Ruby's hand as it placed itself on his shoulder.

"So, would you happen to know where he is?"

"W-well you don't h-have to give them right now…"

"Oh I've got to give them at this very moment! They will turn bad if I wait." Ruby lovingly crafted a small box from a cut out, and placed the Poffins inside.

"I uh… Pearl's with his **family** right now so…" Diamond started sweating heavily. He just isn't the type to lie! The Hoenn boy sensed that something was wrong with Diamond almost immediately.

_Maybe Pearl and Sapphire… Oh no._

"Oh really? Are you ok Diamond? What is Pearl **really** doing? I hear Sapphire's out with some powerful trainers from another region today. Would you happen to know anything about **that**?" Ruby cornered Diamond, their faces almost touching as the raven-haired boy leaned closer towards the other. His fierce red eyes pierced Diamond's dark ones like laser beams, striking his brain until he couldn't hold out any longer.

"OK! ALRIGHT. Sapphire's out training with Pearl's family. We just wanted her to get to know Pearl before she chooses who to date, OK? THERE. STOP LOOKING AT ME WITH THOSE EYES, Ruby!"

Diamond panted heavily, his chef's hat bent out of shape and lop-siding from his head. Ruby felt a vane in his head throb out of jealousy. Yet, he knew he had to think about the whole thing rationally before making a conclusion.

_Now think, Ruby. Rash actions are for people like Pearl, and… Sapphire…_

_Wait. She __**did**__ say she was going to battle, and I'm sure __**that**__ would be the only reason for her attendance since "Family luncheons and small talk" aren't exactly Sapphire's cups of tea. On the other hand, Diamond didn't lie either since he __**did**__ say Pearl was out with his family…_

_He didn't actually kidnap her, although keeping it a secret from me reveals his true intentions. _

"So, Diamond…"

"Battle arena. Please don't tell Pearl or Platina I cracked… They'd eat me alive!"

"Don't worry about that. Now, come with me!" Ruby grabbed Diamond's hand and with the other, the Poffins, as he made his way towards the arena.

* * *

_A/N: I actually wrote this in one sitting, (4000++ words in 5 hours. WTF) but will update the very last chapter when I get enough reviews. Ohohoho! So review please! Thanks for reading._


	22. Chapter 22

_A/N: And here's the final chapter! It's been totally fun writing this and it's sort of a revelation for me to actually __**finish**__ a story. Thanks for sticking through all the way! Love you guys._

_Be sure to watch out for __**Nice to Meet You: Black and White**__, where Ruby and Sapphire will get to meet Black, White, Cheren, Bianca and N!_

* * *

Yellow, Pearl, Cynthia and their pokemon started playing with Sapphire's team; as the wild girl and Volkner have a little chat in the announcer's box. It overlooked the entire arena and it was completely sound-proofed from the outside.

Sapphire sat beside the operating table, casually leaning against the window where she could see her pokemon happily playing alongside Pearl's team. Volkner took this opportunity and spoke with her in the friendliest tone he could muster.

"You know Sapphire, you are a **magnificent** trainer. Just like my son, you are able to detect, analyse and command with skill. You are also quite physically capable; a potential gym leader I'll say."

"Gee, Thanks Mr. Volkner sir!" She let out a fanged-smile, scratching the back of her neck in embarrassment.

"And think about how all the **more** magnificent you can be, partnered with my son's tactical thinking and strength. You both would make a combo that would rival even Flint and me." Volkner crossed his arms and looked at her with fierce determination. Volkner's eyes suddenly resembled a resilience only a very few people possessed.

And one of those people, Sapphire thought, she loved and missed very dearly at that moment.

_Ruby…_

Sapphire started fidgeting haphazardly as she thought about him, unknowingly pressing the "Broadcast" button as she did. Neither she nor Volkner noticed the microphone light suddenly turning on, the speakers functioning right after. Their voices started to echo around the stadium, where Ruby, Diamond, Pearl and Platina were scattered about.

Ruby and Diamond were the first to recognize the female voice as they were currently outside the arena. Alerted by Sapphire's voice, they stopped their tracks and waited for more feedback from the speakers.

Platina immediately dismissed her attempt to get in through the upper windows, as she hopped off the back of her Rapidash. She listened intently at the sound, fearing either the approval or disapproval of her beloved friend.

Pearl, Cynthia and Yellow listened attentively, curious about what Volkner and Sapphire were talking about. The blonde boy gulped as he felt tension grow deep inside him.

Sapphire's simple, yet distinct voice echoed throughout the halls of the stadium.

"I actually have a battle partner already… His name is Ruby."

She had a somewhat shaky and emotional tone, but that meant her message resonated with deep sincerity. Pearl felt his heart sink, but he smiled. He somewhat knew all along that she felt that way. His mother and sister wanted to say something, but Pearl shook his head.

"…You might've heard of him since he's a gym leader's son like Pearl, but… He grew up a bit differently. He didn't have an awesome and supportive family like you guys, so he had to teach _himself_ how to be strong."

Platina looked down and smiled as well, realizing that trying to get those two apart will never work.

"And even if he hides it all the time, I know no other trainer who's as awesome Ruby. And not only is he strong, but… He's also _really _smart too! He really taught me how to think before you leap. But, that's not the _only_ thing he taught me!"

Diamond gulped. "Uh, Ruby… Is this going to be R-Rated?"

As more words poured out of the speakers, the Sinnoh boy heard a box fall behind him. He turned around and was alarmed upon seeing the golden pastries scattered all over the floor.

The white capped-boy didn't say a word and remained still. Diamond sneaked a peak at Ruby's face, and sighed.

There, on Ruby's face, was the **biggest** smile Diamond had ever seen.

"He also taught me how to change myself for the better. He's the reason why I'm the Sapphire I am today. If I didn't have Ruby by my side, I'd have ended up a spineless weakling! And believe me; you wouldn't even have considered battling a sissy!"

Volkner chuckled slightly, eyeing his wife through the window as she made arm gestures at him.

"Oh, I know **exactly** how you feel. Trust me." He gave a wink, indicating that he understood everything. _After all, Cynthia whipped me into fighting condition too. Didn't you honey? Sorry Pearl. Guess you were beaten to the chase this time._

"Why don't we head out now? You must be exhausted from all that training and, the family and I have an early flight." Sapphire gave him a nod and hopped off the operating table. Volkner chuckled once more before swiftly pressing the "OFF" button on the microphone.

* * *

"Oh! I suddenly remembered we were scheduled to leave tomorrow morning too." Diamond said, breaking the awkward silence. _The things you forget when Missy initiates her crazy missions!_

"I've gotta go and pack my things. Catch ya later Ruby! See us off tomorrow, will you?"

Ruby managed to nod at his rushing friend, still slightly dazed by the confession Sapphire just made. He looked down, and spotted the Poffins almost immediately.

The pain of losing four hours of hard work to the dirt of the ground woke him up from his dreamy state; making Ruby cringe and throw his hands onto his capped head in agony.

"The crap girls make you go through… Seriously."

As he looked up in utter defeat, he cracked the same smile he had on his face a while ago as he remembered Sapphire's words.

_He's the reason why I'm the Sapphire I am today._

Ruby flopped his hat down across his face, hiding his reddened cheeks from the world as he screamed in embarrassment.

"YOU **AMAZOOOON**!"

The sky emitted a beautiful mix of purple, pink and blue as the sun rose. It was 5:00 AM. Sapphire lazily rubbed her eyes as she woke up from a deep slumber by the sound of a rock hitting her window.

"Huh…What?" With small, sluggish steps, she made her way towards the source of the noise.

"R-ruby? What the HECK do ya think you're do-… OH SHOOT THEY'RE LEAVING TODAY!"

Her companion simply rolled his eyes and shook his head in response, already very used to this unfavourable part of Sapphire's laid-back personality.

"You better hurry or we'll be-"

Sapphire plopped herself onto Ruby's bike and grinned her distinctive fanged smile. He felt his cheeks grow hot as he suddenly remembered the words that echoed through the arena the night before.

"Huh? Is something wrong, sissy boy?"

"N-nothing… It's just that you've… Gotten a **lot** fatter! How can I pedal when you're just sitting there weighing like, eight tons?" _She'd drop a bomb on me if I told her that her little "speech" was broadcasted all over the battle arena. Better keep it a secret for now!_

"ExcuuUUuse me for being FAT! Who keeps making me all that food anyway, HMM?"

"Well for these passed days, Diamond-"

They continued their infamous bickering as Ruby peddled them to the airport. (He was lying about the weight. Boys are _such _jerks)

Ruby breathed heavily, forgetting how hard it was to pedal for two people. "D-did we m-make it?" He parked the bike and followed Sapphire into the airport.

"Oh hey! I see them! Shoot, they're about to board!" Sapphire ran towards them, dragging Ruby along as the trio spotted them through the glass.

* * *

"Ruby and Sapphire's there! Oh how delightful! I thought they wouldn't be able to see us off…" Platina waved at them and ran towards the duo.

"You gonna be ok, Pearl? Would you rather board the plane already?"

"Nah. I've got a few things I'd like to say to them both before I leave."

"Sure you ain't gonna knock Ruby's teeth out instead?"

"Yeah, I'm sure… And even if I do, I could always run straight to the airplane afterwards."

Diamond and Pearl snickered, before nodding and heading towards Platina.

* * *

"I'll really miss you two, really I will. You've both taught me so much. Be sure to give my Poketech a little ring from time to time. Thank you for giving me such a wonderful Hoenn experience!" Platina gave the duo a warm hug.

"Thanks Missy. Always stay pretty, smart and strong! Always remember us even if you're all the way in Sinnoh!"

"Oh, that reminds me. I shall invite you both to my summer villas one of these days. Please look forward to it!"

"You serious? SWEET! Thanks, Missy!" Before Sapphire could wrap her strong arms around the young lady, Ruby cut in.

"Take care, Ms. Berlitz, I mean… Platina. Although, I do believe these two give you all the care you need."

Platina let out a feminine giggle before giving Ruby a friendly peck on the cheek. Sapphire and Diamond felt a spark of jealousy when she did this, but decided to brush it off as they watched Platina board the plane.

Diamond stepped in and gave Ruby and Sapphire some packaged treats. "I made these last night. They're a nice batch of tasty Poffins I'm sure your pokemon will love. Too bad yesterday's Poffins-"

"Don't remind me!" Ruby cried jokingly.

"Jokes aside, you guys were really awesome; we should all hang-out again soon, alright? We've gotta invite you to one of our double act nights from time to time."

Sapphire gave him a big and tight hug. "Please do! I'd love to watch. Now, don't get **too** fat, Dia! Be sure to write!"

"I will. And Ruby, take good care of Sapphire alright?" The Sinnoh boy gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder and winked, causing the Hoenn couple's faces to blow like a steaming kettle!

"Oh I'm pretty good at handling wild animals; so don't you worry about a thing!" The crimson-eyed boy retorted with a smug. Sapphire punched him almost instantly in irritation.

"Ow! That hurt!"

"You two would make an awesome double act… Just saying!"

And with that, Diamond bid farewell and ran towards Platina.

Meanwhile, it was just Sapphire, Ruby and Pearl now. Sapphire sensed an awkward silence between them but as she looked at Pearl's amber eyes, she felt her heart sink and tears swell at the corners of her eyes at the thought of having to say good bye.

"P-pearl… I suddenly remembered… Out in the forest…" She couldn't hold back as tears started to roll down her cheek. "I'll miss you… Hot-head… Thanks for putting up with me and my fits" Pearl's heart sank too, seeing Sapphire cry because of him.

He looked at Ruby, awaiting some sort of approval first. The crimson-eyed boy smiled and nodded, allowing Pearl to say his good-byes to Sapphire.

Pearl wrapped his arms around the caramel-head, his chin resting on top of her un-brushed head. "Sapphire… I'll really miss you. It was fun while it lasted. Don't hesitate to call me whenever Ruby's being a jerk again." He whispered, closing his eyes as he felt her tears trickle on his chest.

"Haha! If I don't get to him first! Thanks for everything, Pearl." Sapphire wiped her eyes with gloved hands and stepped away from the blonde, grinning like her old self again.

"No problem. I had fun. Call me up from time to time, promise?"

"I promise. Good bye, Pearl."

Sapphire embraced him one last time. Pearl held her tight once again, before spotting Ruby's death glare from afar. Feeling chills suddenly vibrating through his spine as Ruby's blood-red eyes met his, Pearl released her and let out a nervous chuckle.

Ruby smiled and gave Pearl a hand shake. "Well Pearl, it was Nice meeting you."

"Likewise, Ruby. Take good care of Sapphire. I'll knock your teeth out if you don't!"

This time, Ruby felt the chill as Pearl's hand tightened the grip on his.

"**Attention**, passenger Pearl of flight XJU829 bound for Sinnoh please report to the boarding area now. Again, passenger-"

"Shoot! Gotta go!" After one last look at the duo, Pearl ran towards the boarding area where his family and friends waited with impatient expressions.

"Oh! Cynthia, Volkner, Yellow! It was nice meeting you guys! You are all AWESOME!" Sapphire screamed. Other passengers eyed Sapphire strangely, but the duo was used to all that already so they couldn't care less.

The three of them gave her an enthusiastic wave, before grabbing Pearl's arms as they dragged him towards the airplane.

After ten minutes, the airplane finally took to the skies. The Sinnoh trio looked out the window as they flew across the terrain of Hoenn, and then looked at each other; suddenly laughing as they remembered their amazing rollercoaster adventure alongside two new friends.

* * *

"Boy, I'll really miss them!" Sapphire cried out, stretching her arms upward.

"You mean you'll miss **Pearl**, right?" Ruby retorted, walking towards the exit.

"Oh? _Someone's_ jealous… Hmm?"

"Oh why would an awesome trainer like me be jealous of someone as puny as Pearl? Don't you think so, Sapph? Aren't I an awesome trainer?"

Sapphire suddenly remembered her little speech yesterday, her head filling up with colour as she stomped towards Ruby's bike.

"I don't know WHERE you get those stupid ideas from. You, AWESOME? More like I'M awesome! I managed to beat Cynthia and-"

Ruby chuckled at his hot-head girlfriend, who apparently didn't need a hot-head boyfriend as her soul mate. Meeting the Sinnoh trio taught the Hoenn duo how much they couldn't live without each other; and vice versa.

Another lesson Ruby learned by meeting new people, was how he wouldn't be able to find anyone like Sapphire.

_Not one in a million._

"Yeah, you're pretty awesome too Sapph" He managed to say after the trail of thought, Stealing a kiss from Sapphire before he ran towards the bicycle.

The cave girl stood still; petrified at the sudden burst of affection from such an unaffectionate boy.

"H-hey, where'd that come from? RUBY!"

All the boy did was stick his tongue out in reply, before hopping on his bike and waiting for his soul mate to catch up with him.

**Fin**.

* * *

Epilogue:

"Unova United Airlines" slowly descended from its path, lowering towards a town called "Littleroot" in the Hoenn region. A boy nudged a girl beside him, poking a question as he did.

"Hey, White. White!"

"H-huh? Black, I was sleeping! I was in the middle of a heavenly dream wherein Bubu-chan was featured in the Oakey Show!"

"Oh yeah? Well while you're having your _sleep_ dreams, you're ruining my real ones by delaying Poka's training!"

"First of all, we need a **Milotic** for an upcoming movie shoot. Secondly, you still **owe** me BIG TIME for the equipment you broke a while ago. Thirdly, you agreed because you wanted to meet a certain **trainer** who lives in the same town as the owner of the Milotic. Shall I go on?"

Black surrendered all hope, crossing his arms and looking away from the girl that does a splendid job of bossing him around.

"Whatever. What's the name of the owner?"

"Ruby? She must be a girl. She owns a pretty feminine _Milotic_, afterall."

"Sapphire's a weird name for a boy. But seeing as that guy beat out eight gym leaders in eighty days, he probably isn't a wimp."

"Oh I can't wait to meet them!" White exclaimed, staring dreamily out the window.

"W-what should I say when I see Sapphire, prez? I wouldn't wanna look like a total dope!"

The agent sighed and smacked the back of Black, trying to reassure the boy.

"Just say, I'm Black! **Nice to Meet You!**"

* * *

_A/N: That was really fun to write! I'm enjoying the fact that Black and White, (In my heart) are a much more casual pair than Ruby and Sapphire. Its fun to be able to mess around with their personalities a bit since 6 chapters of the Black-White manga is really a miniscule amount of resource compared to like 10 volumes of Ruby-Sapphire. Don't forget to check out __**Nice to Meet You: Black and White **__when its uploaded!_

_Anyway, thanks for sticking with this fanfic! I really appreciate every single review, favourite and alert this story has received. _

_**Please do me one last favour  
by clicking the**__**REVIEW button just below us**__  
and writing me a short message on how you feel about the story or something._

_Thanks again!_


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